The Most Youthful Challenge
by Kanemoshi
Summary: In a final attempt to prove their youth, and forever end their competitions, Gai and Kakashi bet on who can find love first. Too bad Kakashi decides to fall in love with the one chuunin he could never seduce. KakashiIruka Warning: There's YAOI!
1. Prologue

Authoress//squeals in fan girlish glee/ I can't believe it…I'm back with another story…YOOOSH! Now, for those of you who aren't one of my wonderful reviewers from other stories…I have a special reward for my one-hundredth reviewer to any of my stories…and that is a story written just for you (now don't you feel special?)…/smiles/ and this story just so happens to be one of those rewards…so, this goes out to Greenislovely-san for such a wonderful review on 'Underneath The Scars' (if you're into Kakashi/Iruka, I highly recommend that story…/sighs happily/ it's becoming quite steamy……and if you're not a scarecrow/dolphin kind of person……what are you reading this story for?) And, as with all of my other stories…I will only warn you once, this is a Yaoi story, which means that (when I finally get my lazy behind into action) there WILL be some (oh so very good) moments in this story…/smiles sheepishly/ I'm one of those people who has been flamed time and again, but have yet to be kicked off…so I shall write nosebleed-inducing sections until I am reported!…I hope that doesn't ever happen…because that would just suck…so, anyway…onto the story! And, once again, I'd like to thank Greenislovely-san for such an amazing moment…/squeals/ it was my first hundredth review on a Naruto fic…/cries happily/ yo kata!

LB: (rubs hands together in glee) Oh well, more "work" for us! (Nosebleed)

Disclaimer: Do you have to rub it in?…I don't own Naruto…never did and never will…/drools/ but could you imagine if I did!

Prologue

Kakashi leaned back against the trunk of a tree he had been sitting in for the past few hours. The position had already left half of his behind and his entire right leg numb, but he was able to watch his genin team. Thinking about those three for a moment, the jounin realized it was quiet…almost too quiet considering those demons were supposed to be working on their newest mission - raking leaves that had fallen in this autumn weather. Kakashi remembered his days spent as a genin, then a chuunin, but couldn't recall a time when he was forced to do such a mundane, and utterly pointless, task in order to earn his pay. Sometimes he couldn't help but agree with his blonde student when Naruto said that their missions were stupid and that Tsunade-sama should give them some hard B- or even A-ranked missions.

Kakashi knew his team was more than capable of completing such missions. It had nearly been a year since Sasuke had returned (well, he had come home knocked unconscious on Naruto's back, but who was looking at the details?) and both he and Naruto had passed the chuunin exams a few months ago. That left Kakashi with three overly-energetic chuunin who were some of the most powerful shinobi of their generation…and, sadly, they knew it. Because of their never-ending bickering and small fistfights between Naruto and Sasuke (or, in the case of Sakura, beating Naruto to within an inch of his life with that monstrous strength of hers), Kakashi had very little leisure time lately.

Today was actually the first day that nothing had gone wrong yet…and it was a glorious day for the jounin. He hadn't been forced to put his Icha Icha book away in order to save his loudest student from being killed by his supposed 'best friends' or something to that effect. That small fact itself made Kakashi very on edge. The last time those three were actually civil to each other for more than five minutes was the one time they wanted to discover what was underneath his mask.

With a soft chuckle to himself at remembrance of that particular incident, Kakashi reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the pages of Icha Icha Passion. It was Jiraiya-sama's newest book and, in the silver-haired pervert's mind, it was his best work yet. He had seen the book this morning on the way to meet his team and, because of the new release, Kakashi had been seven (instead of the usual three or four) hours late. At that point, not even Naruto had bothered to ask why he was so late. All the trio had to do was listen to their madly giggling sensei to realize that they really didn't want to know the reason behind his less than punctual (for Kakashi) arrival.

Kakashi glanced around the clearing that his students were supposed to be raking and noticed that the entire area was cleaned, but his students were missing. Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi inwardly smirked. He loved the fact that no one ever knew that his Sharingan was just as effective with the hitai-ate on. It was easier to use if he didn't have to piece of metal and material covering his eye, but he kept the band there so people (like his students right now) underestimated his abilities to the point of thinking his eye was ineffective if covered and that the forehead protector did keep extra chakra from leaking from his eye. Kakashi, even though he would never admit it to anyone, also kept the hitai-ate over his eye because he felt…vulnerable without it. Kakashi opened his Sharingan and saw black for a moment before activating it and began studying the surrounding area with his implanted eye. The demonic trio was a few feet behind him with their chakra masked so well, his Sharingan was having trouble picking their traces up. It made him proud, if not slightly fearful, that his team had gotten so much better in the past few years of training with him.

Now all that was left was to figure out what the hell those three were doing hiding behind him and nearly succeeding in remaining concealed from him. Chuckling to himself, Kakashi played the idiot and ignored the three slowly approaching chakra signatures as he picked up where he left off.

Biting back a squeal of glee as Sano ripped off the princess's kimono in the moment of lust, Kakashi hurriedly turned the page to find out more juicy details about the taboo affair between the princess and her fiancée's father. He quickly became so caught up in the novel (and one of the most erotic scenes Jiraiya had ever written), he didn't hear his jounin warning bells go off until it was too late.

"How can you read on a vibrant autumn day like this, my eternal rival…Kakashi!" Kakashi inwardly twitched as he pulled his eye away from his book long enough to catch the last moments of one of Gai's impressive poses. How the hell someone could move like that in spandex and not have serious (personal) problems with chafing, Kakashi couldn't even being to guess. He knew that Gai had none of these problems because the Sharingan wielder would have been the first informed - in a flourish of useless crying, shouting, and remarkable sunset scenes that appear out of nowhere. Sometimes the jounin hated being Gai's closest friend simply because they were 'eternal rivals. No…Kakashi hated that fact all the time, unless he could sit back and watch the Green Beast of Konoha put himself through harsh tasks because Kakashi won their last competition. During those times, Kakashi could actually stand the man's obnoxious company. Call him sadistic if you want, but Kakashi couldn't help but love watching Gai push himself beyond his limits. It meant he was too busy for all his outbursts and theatrics.

In response to Gai's exclamation, Kakashi glanced down at his newest love and memorized the number of the page he had been on and, once he had completed that, he gently closed the book and placed it into a secret pocket in his vest. He had actually had that special pocket put in just for his beloved Icha Icha novels.

"Ah, so I have finally swayed you from your perverse ways ! It is a great day for youth!" Gai cried, waterfall-like tears falling down his face as he did an all-new movement. Kakashi mentally noted this frightening display of flexibility and energy as Dance-217 (for future reference…so he could avoid such a frightening display of what Gai seemed to think was youth). Kakashi considered it to be more of a 'creepy' than a 'youthful' thing. Then again, to each his own, and there was no way in hell Kakashi was about to argue with Gai on the 'youth' topic. He made that mistake once…and he was never able to look at carrots the same way again after Gai lost that particular competition…

Thinking back on it, Kakashi realized that the carrot incident had actually been the first time Gai made up one of his ridiculous conditions if he lost. For a moment, Kakashi wondered what would have happened if he had just let Gai win the youthful argument.

"What do you want?" Kakashi asked dryly as he looked back up at his rival, who had switched to a new stance. Gai's pose faltered as he realized Kakashi had actually acknowledged his presence…without him, Green Beast of Konoha demanding a new match of youth, strength, and skill. Gai was so amazed, in face, he stood up from his Youth-67 pose in order to stare at Kakashi.

As quickly as he had lost his usual, youthful spirit, Gai suddenly picked up here he left off, inwardly crying at this new, and wonderful, change in Kakashi. In the man's mind, it was about time his eternal rival stopped being so stubborn.

"I see your youthful spirit has finally begun showing, my eternal rival!" Kakashi winced inwardly at Gai's exuberant tone. Apparently Gai had something to share with Kakashi…or the man had an all new challenge. As of right now, they were tied with seventy-two wins each, but that was just because Gai got lucky in their last competition - cuter baby pictures. Anko and Kurenai had been the judges to that particular competition and Kakashi wasn't surprised when they told him he looked like his usual serious, but chronically bored self when an infant. On the other hand, they fell in love with Gai's baby pictures.

"…what do you want?" Kakashi repeated himself, sure that the spandex-clad shinobi had forgotten Kakashi had actually asked something of importance before. Gai's creepy eyes landed on Kakashi and the silver-haired pervert felt a chill go down his back. Oh, yes, Gai had thought of an all-new competition. Kakashi couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was apparently something good from the way Gai's smile shone as the man chuckled to himself.

"I thought of the last test of youth, Kakashi!" Gai pirouetted on the branch Kakashi had been comfortably sitting on a few minutes ago as the other jounin merely raised an eyebrow at his rival's comment.

Last?…what the hell is he talking about? We've been having these competitions since we were eight…maybe he's finally going to give up…Kakashi prayed that was the case…Gai was really starting to grate on his nerves after twenty years of this youthful spirit. "Maa…"

"…Last night, I came to an epiphany, my eternal rival!" Kakashi wanted so badly to bash his own head into the tree to save himself from whatever Gai wanted to share with him now, but he couldn't do that in front of his students…they'd be cruel enough to save his life. "We are coming to the end of our years of youthful flirting!"

…? Kakashi wondered for a moment how long it had been since Gai had last got laid…because, apparently, that was what their newest bet would be. If that was the case, Kakashi knew he'd win even if he was in a coma for the next five months.

"I see you are speechless at this realization. I understand…it was a shock to me as well, Kakashi…" Gai gently patted his silent friend on the shoulder as he wept in pity for his lonely rival. If it killed him, he would make sure Kakashi would at least come into a close second in their competition. "I have decided…that, as our last battle to prove our youth, we will find true love!"

Has he lost his mind? Kakashi could hear his spying students chuckling to themselves, which only egged the slightly narcissistic jounin on. "What do I have to do?" he asked firmly as he slowly stood up to look at Gai at eyelevel. Gai, apparently surprised at how quickly Kakashi had overcome his speechlessness, gave a shining grin and a thumbs up.

"Fall in love, of course! Whichever one of us can find the love of our lives first and have the feeling returned will win! If I lose, I will never challenge you again, my eternal rival!" Gai exclaimed energetically as he posed again.

Oh, this would be too easy, Kakashi decided as he began watching Gai go into a fit of posing, crying, and whatever else the man did when he had moments like this. Kakashi had learned long ago to just ignore it as much as possible. He thought for a moment, trying to pick out what person he could seduce within a week so that he wouldn't have to deal with Gai much longer. "Fine, I agree to your bet…" Kakashi stated as he began pulling his Icha Icha Passion back out, but froze when he saw that dreamy, helpless look in his rival's face. Apparently, Gai had already picked the victim of his unwanted attentions.

Kakashi pulled his book back out, trying to make it seem like he didn't care about their newest competition. In all actuality, Kakashi was mentally listing every available (and some taken) jounin that he could seduce in the next few days or weeks. After a moment of his reasoning, Kakashi was depressed at how few jounin there were that he could even stand, let alone have someone as a bed partner long enough to get Gai off his back.

That meant he would have to open his other options - ANBU members. After another moment, Kakashi inwardly dropped his head and sighed. There were even fewer ANBU members who he would ever bed. Alright, that left his one last option - the chuunin. For a moment, Kakashi imagined hooking up with someone like Naruto and he visibly shivered at the thought. He could take months of Ibiki's torture…but a full day with another Naruto…it was just too much for the Copy-Cat Ninja to take.

By the time Kakashi had a suitable list of chuunin and jounin that he could actually sleep with and not have serious mental problems for years to come, he was surprised to find Gai gone and his students back raking another area of the clearing as though nothing had happened. Kakashi looked down at his Icha Icha Passion, keeping the corner of his eye on the three, but couldn't find anything that betrayed the fact they had heard his newest bet with Gai. Those little bastards are in on it…Kakashi assured himself as he watched Sakura bash Naruto over the head for something he had said to Sasuke, who was looking more and more like a big hunk of ice as he watched his teammates bicker over what to call him. Apparently, Naruto was under the impression 'asshole' was a polite enough term. Too bad for him Tsunade had trained his female companion.

Kakashi couldn't help but giggle when Sakura landed a particularly heavy hit, flinging Naruto backwards several feet into none other than the stoic Uchiha who had been trying so hard to ignore his teammates that he didn't see Naruto until it was too late. The two boys went sailing through a few bits of shrubbery and, in Naruto's case, an exceptionally thick tree trunk which left a large hole in the old tree.

He shook his head as he watched Sasuke get up and brush himself off as though nothing happened, then proceeded to go searching for the blonde who had dared fling him into a bush. Naruto, on the other hand, hadn't faired so well and had yet to get back up. With anyone else, Kakashi would have probably started having a panic attack as soon as he had seen the boy fly through the first tree, but he knew Naruto was virtually indestructible, so he left the unconscious blonde to Sasuke as he picked up where he left off.

Within seconds of reading, Kakashi had to look back up at his team. He hadn't heard the usual 'itai' from Naruto yet, which, in Kakashi's logical mind, meant Sasuke had finally snapped and throttled his teammate's neck or that something was seriously wrong with his student.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi flew out of his tree when he heard the fear in Sakura's voice. He scanned the clearing and found the pink-haired girl and Sasuke kneeling on either side of one very immobile blonde. He didn't need to activate the Sharingan to see the healing chakra flowing from Sakura hands resting gently on Naruto's chest. He raced over to the three teens and immediately dropped to his knees next to Sasuke and began studying Naruto for serious injuries.

The Kyuubi should be healing him…and even if it isn't healing him…Sakura could easily fix any broken bones or concussions…what's wrong? Kakashi wondered to himself as he studied Naruto's relaxed face. There was something seriously wrong with the boy. As he pulled up his hitai-ate to get a better look at the blonde, Kakashi noticed that 'seriously wrong' wasn't exactly the term to be using. A 'oh, shit, we need to get him to the Hokage' would have been more appropriate. The Sharingan revealed that Naruto was very low on chakra - that his body was actually burning away his internal organs in attempts to use the Kyuubi's energy before it melded with his own.

"…we need to get him to the Hokage…" Kakashi commented coldly as he glared at Sakura, whose face was oddly emotionless for the sentimental girl. He glanced over at Sasuke, who (in a very un-Sasuke manner) had an unrestrained smirk on his face. Those little bastards…Kakashi quickly pulled a kunai out and rammed the blade in between Sasuke's third and fourth ribs and the man was rewarded with a soft poof of smoke as the Uchiha disappeared.

Kakashi, in the blink of an eye, flung a kunai into Sakura and the unconscious blonde, both of which erupted in smoke in return. Kakashi picked up his blades, scowling, even though his students wouldn't see his pout. Standing back up, the jounin heard a chorus of chuckles.

"…got you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, waving at Kakashi from the jounin's previous seat in the tree. Inwardly, Kakashi twitched at the boy's comment. They got him…they actually tricked the jounin to the point Kakashi had been a hairsbreadth away from having an anxiety or heart attack.

Kakashi hadn't even gotten this annoyed by Gai before. With a glare at the three sitting on his tree branch, the jounin flipped them off and began stalking away. While walking, Kakashi began leafing through his vest for his Icha Icha novel, hoping to work off some of his aggravation with reading, but froze and slowly turned around when he discovered the book missing.

His eyes shifted to look at the trio and glowered when he saw Naruto waving his orange book in the air. "Forget something, Kakashi-sensei!" That little bastard…will pay…Kakashi decided as he ignored his student and continued walking away from them.

Thinking about payback, Kakashi realized he had yet to think of someone who would be a good person to seduce so that he could win the final competition against Gai. With a smirk, Kakashi thought of the perfect candidate. Not only would Kakashi have a bit of a challenge with this person, but he could get Naruto back for being such an annoying pain in his ass.

You picked the wrong boy to adopt…Kakashi almost giggled as he strode back into the village, his step lightening considerably as he thought of the perfect way to seduce this particular chuunin academy teacher. Umino Iruka…

--

Authoress: kuku…I know this chapter's kinda short…but the prologue is supposed to be just an introduction…so, how does everyone like the plot so far//smiles innocently/ poor Kakashi…I know…he got tricked too easily…but we all know he has a big soft spot for his team…he would be so depressed if anything happened to them while he was supposed to be watching them…and, in case anyone didn't notice…I fast forwarded the story a few years…pretty much…Sasuke comes back after Naruto returns with Jiraiya…and they both pass the chuunin exam…and even though they're not Kakashi's genin team anymore (now they're more like equals to our favorite pervert), they still call him 'sensei'…so…please review! And, again, I'll say it…thank you so much to Greenislovely-san for your one-hundredth review to 'Underneath The Scars'…and, for everyone following 'Revealing A Kitsune'…we've hit one hundred! YOSH!…so, that means I'll have another new story coming out soon!…/dances for joy/ AHHH! It's a wonderful day to be a Yaoi writer! And, of course, I'd like to thank my amazing beta-readers.../squeals/ LB-chan fixed all those nasty grammar mistakes I had.../smiles/ they're sooo getting my next few lemons dedicated to them! So, until I get my lazy behind into motion...thank you so much for reading and (hopefully) reviewing!


	2. Chapter One

Authoress: oh, my…I can't believe how long it's taken me to start writing this chapter/cries/ GOMEEEEEEEEN! College is one of those things where you're either loaded up with work…or you don't remember where you were last night…and having a boyfriend who dotes on you doesn't help matters much…(he's a lil' iffy with the whole girlfriend's-into-Yaoi-and-his-brother's-a-pretty-boy scenario…yeah…his brother is one of those gorgeous Italian boys who's either VEEERY metro-sexual or still in the closet…) So, anyways…this is to Greenislovely-san…/cries happily/ can you believe it…the hundredth reviewer gets a story! See, everyone should review on my stories…you get smut written just for you!

Disclaimer:...cruel people…/sniffles/ do you know what I could do with Kakashi if I owned Naruto/smiles perversely/

Chapter One

Kakashi kept his visible eye glued to the X-rated words of his new Icha Icha novel as he slowly walked through the Hokage's tower. With each step, he could feel the papers jammed into his jacket crumple just a little bit more. There was one certain chuunin who couldn't stand the wrinkled, illegible report. Today, for the first time, Kakashi had _purposely_ destroyed the papers. He even went so far as to soak his write-up in ramen before coming to hand it in. The jounin thought that last act might not have been the best of his genius ideas when he saw those hungry looks on his fellow shinobis' faces as he, and his pork-scented papers, meandered by. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to eat him. Since that day, Kakashi refused to do missions in, or anywhere _near_, a place that made dango…or be near Anko when she was hungry and/or angry…

With a sigh, Kakashi ignored the urge to shiver at the memory of _that_ day and took the last few steps toward the mission office. He waited until someone else (a little genin who must be the new errand boy) opened the door before slipping into the crowded, noisy room. As soon as he stepped foot into the office, the roar of voices quieted down a bit. It was enough of a change that Kakashi could now pick out words and particular voices.

"Asuma-sensei, I can't take a report written on a cigarette wrapper!" Kakashi didn't even need to look up from his book to recognize the Umino's (usually) soft voice. Then again, no one except the neat-freak chuunin would care what you do your report on. Hell, before Iruka, Asuma had the bad habit of "accidentally" smoking his reports. Since Iruka took over, the jounin didn't even _smoke_ in his presence! That chuunin – one tiny, weaker shinobi, scared the crap out of the majority of the jounin far worse than anything else that existed.

Kakashi slunk towards the desk, having to weave through the crowd of chuunin and jounin. When he finally made it to Iruka (not without a few "WAIT YOUR TUR-oh, Hatake-san…"), he thanked whatever God existed that he was the only one-eyed, silver-haired jounin in Konoha. It made life so much easier when people were scared to death of you. There was one major exception, though. Iruka didn't even look up from the cigarette paper in his hand as he waved Kakashi to the side of the table.

"I'm not accepting another crumpled, ramen-soaked report with bad handwriting and lewd cartoons, Kakashi-sensei…" Iruka stated calmly, holding out his free hand. For a moment, Kakashi wondered if he had done the ramen-bath too often this month, then remembered how (it was rumored) Iruka was even more of a ramen-junkie than Naruto. If so, then the man probably could have smelled Kakashi from a mile away.

"Maa...it's pork ramen…Naruto said it was your favorite…and I thought you liked my illustrations of Icha Icha Paradise…" Kakashi replied, smirking under his mask when he saw the faint blush come to Iruka's cheeks. Kakashi's smile only grew as he quickly planned out the rest of his self-proclaimed "Mission: Bed Iruka, Stage One."

"Can I have your report, Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka asked in exasperation as he finally looked up at the obviously happy jounin. No good ever came of Kakashi being in a good mood, so it was only fair Iruka was very hesitant to take the ball of papers Kakashi finally produced.

As carefully as he could, Iruka shook the wet papers apart and started leafing through them. Even with his years of correcting pre-genin papers, Iruka was having a difficult time even figuring out what Kakashi's mission was. Pulling a large noodle off of one of the more readable pages, Iruka scanned over Kakashi's terrible handwriting. His eyes widened when he saw one sentence in particular:

_Ichiraku's tonight?_

The dumbfounded chuunin quickly looked up to where Kakashi was standing, only the find the silver-haired pervert was gone, replaced by a cigarette-report waving Asuma. "The mission office is closing now…please come back tomorrow…" Iruka said softly, his eyes focusing on the lopsided hearts surrounding that short sentence. The only person that actually heard the quiet chuunin all but flung his report on the desk and shot out of the room like his ass was on fire. Iruka studied the cigarette for a moment, letting his infamous vein become visible to his soon-to-be victims. "I _said_…"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE, YOU ILLITERATE GOSSIP WHORES! I'M GOING TO SHOVE THIS REPORT UP YOUR –bleep- AND –bleep- -bleepidy- -bleep- IN ONE SECOND!"

Tsunade dropped her cup of sake when she heard her favorite chuunin teacher. She wasn't aware that something like that was anatomically possible, but if it was, Iruka sure could do it… Of course, she almost fell out of her chair when the stampede of screaming shinobi flooded out of the Hokage tower, some of them pulling papers out of _very_ interesting places. Having a window overlooking the tower's entrance certainly had its perks…

"Hm…I wonder if Iruka-kun gave anyone a paper cut…" the Hokage wondered out loud, thinking of all the new patients the hospital would have tomorrow. A perverted grin came to the woman's face when she remembered that Kakashi was supposed to be handing a report in today. "Maybe he finally castrated that pervert…I should sic him on Jiraiya one of these days…"

Ah, the screams of his fellow shinobi and one very disturbed chuunin…it was music to Kakashi's ears. The jounin had enough sense to flee quickly after giving Iruka his invitation. It had taken Kakashi quite a while to think of a place where the quick-tempered chuunin would be able to relax, maybe even loosen up with a few drinks. Of course, the jounin put those pitiful hearts on as an afterthought, remembering how Junto wrote Mimi that love letter in the third installment of Icha Icha Violence: The Return of the Aphrodisiacs. What an epic tale that series was… Kakashi smirked to himself as he meandered down the crowded streets, thinking about his foolproof plan for tonight.

Tsunade pulled herself away from her window, where she could see the worst-off of the shinobi crawl away, when she heard the door opening. She turned around quickly, grabbing a scroll and hoping it looked like she was reading it. When she didn't hear her assistant's usual nagging, she looked up and saw her favorite, spazzing teacher lean against the door with a sigh. Her eyes immediately focused on the crumpled paper he was holding against his chest. "Long day, Iruka?"

"You could say that…" Iruka replied breathlessly as he pushed off the door and slowly hobbled towards Tsunade. "I guess you heard my outburst…"

"And saw some of my finest shinobi flying out of here with very interesting injuries…want to explain why?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow when she saw the chuunin's face change colors so that he resembled a tomato.

"I…well…I got…an…invitation…t-to dinner…" Tsunade could clearly see how, with each word, the chuunin held those papers closer to his vest.

_How romantic! Someone asked Iruka out in their report…_Tsunade inwardly squealed at this realization. Whoever it was knew how uncomfortable Iruka would have been if asked in public and she was too shy to ask the chuunin out loud. "So, who is she, Iruka? Kurenai…Anko…" Both shinobi shivered at that suggestion. "Or one of the younger chuunin? You know, Ten Ten has always had this odd obsession with dolphins…" From the raised eyebrow, apparently Iruka wasn't aware of this small fact.

"Aa…it's not a girl…" Iruka replied softly as he sat down across from Tsunade. The Hokage furrowed her eyebrows, trying to think of any older females who would have an interest in Iruka. Then it hit her.

"Oh…so who is _he_?" Tsunade wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, noticing how her sweet Iruka really did look like a tomato when he blushed. "Hmm…Ebisu? No, that's just too creepy…Asuma, Raidou, Genma…Ibiki…Neji? Lee?...Gai?!" For each name, Iruka shook his head, his blush becoming a more alarming shade of red with each passing moment. There was only one other man Tsunade could think of being in the mission office today. "…Kakashi?"

From the immediate, high-pitched squeal that came out of Iruka, Tsunade knew she hit the figurative nail on the head. She, moving with the speed only a Hokage (or a pervert…hell, they're synonymous anyways…) could possess, plucked the piece of paper out of Iruka's hands and spread it out on her desk before the chuunin even realized what had just happened.

"Ichiraku's tonight? Kawaii!" Tsunade leaned over her desk and hugged Iruka, accidentally smothering the poor man in her massive bosom. _Who would have thought _Kakashi_ of all people would be so romantic…or gay?!_ Tsunade forced herself not to drool over the mental image of two of the most handsome men in the village doing unmentionable acts in the nude. Ah, the life of a Yaoi fanatic was a good one! "So, are you going?" Tsunade asked curiously as she finally released Iruka, who immediately began gasping for air. The young man shook his head negatively. "Doshite, Iruka?! You don't like Kakashi?" _Well, who the hell would like that egotistical pervert?_ Tsunade asked herself.

"Iie, it's not that…I-I don't know if this is just another joke of his…I never thought he even _liked _me…" Iruka replied, looking down at his hands dejectedly. "I don't want to get my hopes up…"

Kakashi couldn't help but wring his hands together as he leaped up the few stairs to Iruka's apartment. Any passerby would have said it looked like Kakashi was skipping…Kakashi _didn't_ skip, he leaped. He smirked underneath his mask as she skipped - _leaped_ - up the last step and landed in front of the chuunin's door. He had to just about strangle Ebisu to get Iruka's address out of the creepy man. After walking around an unfamiliar part of the village for a few hours (Kakashi was _not_ lost!), the jounin finally found Iruka's street and, with a little more wandering, the chuunin's apartment.

He stared at the door for a moment, then quickly glanced down at the bouquet in his one hand. Buying flowers…that was one experience Kakashi never wanted to repeat. To think that each color and type had a different meaning…not to mention how nosy Ino was being. Why would she care who he was getting flowers for, anyways?

Kakashi slowly raised a fist to knock on the door, but froze when the door opened by itself. Eying the piece of wood for a moment, Kakashi decided it had to have been a draft that opened the door. He slowly walked into the dimly lit room, noticing immediately the large scarecrow staring back at him. If that wasn't creepy enough in itself, the straw-stuffed creature bore a remarkable resemblance to the jounin. It wore the same uniform, a hitai-ate over one eye, a black mask, grey-ish straw sticking up everywhere…Kakashi had to shiver when he saw the mall, orange book the scarecrow was holding.

Kakashi spun around to quickly leave the room, only to helplessly watch the door close, followed by an echoing click. He caught a glimpse of his tormentor for a second before the last bit of light was swallowed by the darkness.

-(kuku…the plot thickens!)-

Iruka stared down at his bowl of ramen, now cold from sitting there so long. Ichiraku's was completely empty…it could have been the fact that the restaurant was closing soon or the murderous aura coming from a certain chuunin. _I should have known Kakashi would have stood me up…just another one of his cruel jokes…_Iruka thought to himself as he pushed the bowl towards the ramen shop's owner, giving the man an apologetic smile before fishing out a few bills to pay for his uneaten dinner.

"Iruka-kuuun! What is such a youthful spirit doing here all alone!?" Iruka didn't even need to turn around to know Gai had somehow summoned a dramatic sunset (despite the fact it was almost midnight) to enhance his Youthful Crying Spirit 27 pose. "Such youth should be surrounded by friends and smiling!" This time, Iruka made the mistake of turning around to see, what the chuunin liked to call, the 'Run Quickly pose.' Of course, Iruka was too tired to take his own advice, so he was blinded momentarily by that shiny smile.

"Gai-sensei…what are you doing out so late?" Iruka asked curiously, noticing the pink circles that came to Gai's cheeks as the older man quickly slid into a seat next to Iruka. Mistake number two: asking Gai what he was doing…

"Following my youthful heart!" Gai all but screamed as Iruka eyed him oddly. "Ah, being so youthful, you must not understand my urgency!"

"I'm not _that_ much younger than you…" Iruka pointed out, trying to hide his pout. Everyone saw him as much younger than he really was, even going so far as to ask the man (in his late 20's, I might add) for identification when he was out after the curfew for teenagers. Even though that only happened once, Iruka couldn't help but remember the incident.

"You see, Kakashi and I are no longer in the youthfulness of life and…" Gai continued to rant about his realization of his age as though he didn't hear Iruka's comment. The chuunin zoned out, having grown accustomed to Gai's long explanations after working in the mission office for so long. Iruka started paying attention again, however, when he heard Kakashi's name said again. "Kakashi and I decided to end our youthful flirtations and find our true loves! It is the final competition which I must win or I will be forever inferior to Kakashi!"

_They betted on finding love? What heartless bastards…THAT **PRICK! **_Iruka mentally cursed up a storm as things finally started making sense. Kakashi thought it'd be easy to woo Iruka, did he? The chuunin smiled to himself, catching Gai's attention (an somewhat scaring the jounin) when he chuckled evilly.

_This means war, Kakashi…_

Kakashi sneezed loudly, despite his attempts to hold it in. His captor spun around, a broad grin coming to his face. "So, you've finally woken up, have you, Kakashi?" The jounin winced as the other shinobi took a step towards him.

_I'm going to kill Ebisu when I get out of here…_Kakashi promised himself as he, once again, tried to loosen the ropes around his wrists, but to no avail. "Look, Ibiki…I said I'd et you try out some new tortures, but we've been here for seven hours. I had a date tonight…now he's going to be pissed…have you ever _seen_ Iruka mad?!" Kakashi retorted as he made a final attempt to break the chakra-infused ropes. He slumped back in the chair, pouting underneath his mask when he failed in his last try. Ibiki only chuckled as he studied Kakashi curiously.

"Why do you think Ebisu sent you here?" the frightening torture expert asked emotionlessly, smirking when he saw the gears slowly starting to turn in Kakashi's head. "This is the WASABI headquarters…he couldn't let you see Iruka, knowing your intentions…"

"Wasabi?" Kakashi looked up at the jounin, his boredom diminishing a bit at the thought of making fun of this group's name. "Like wasabi sauce? What are you going to do…stuff me with sushi?"

"…it's an acronym, dumb shit…" Ibiki snapped, obviously annoyed with Kakashi's amusement. The silver-haired pervert had heard of this infamous group before - a team who were stealthier than the ANBU, crueler than Orochimaru…but everyone seemed to let the secretive troupe do whatever they wanted. Kakashi had always been curious about the gang, but he wasn't about to show that to Ibiki. "We Against Sorry Attempts to Bed Iruka."

"You know that's not grammatically correct, right?" Kakashi asked, feigning boredom to cover the twinge of fear he just felt. Who would have thought Iruka would have "guardian angels?" Kakashi shivered in remembrance of what happened to Mizuki once when he was attacked by WASABI. No sane shinobi slept well (unless they had steel underwear) for weeks afterwards…

"…It began as Women Against Sorry Attempts to Bed Iruka…we had to change it after Ebisu, Asuma, and I joined, however…" Ibiki snorted, apparently a little aggravated that Kakashi wasn't in the least afraid, despite knowing what kind of danger he was currently in. He cracked his knuckles as he turned to face Kakashi. "For over twenty years, Iruka has had shinobi of every level protecting him from perverts like you…don't think you're the first one to think he'd be an easy lay…" Kakashi had to quiver slightly at that statement. WASABI was known to be quite sadistic in their tortures and murders…and the jounin wasn't stupid. No one liked him enough to actually worry for a few weeks if he suddenly went missing…

"…look, Ibiki…I'm not trying to sleep with Iruka…I…" Kakashi gulped slightly, sensing his own doom. "I really do like Iruka…" Thank God for masks, or else Ibiki would have been able to see the fakeness to Kakashi's smile. Yep…Kakashi just destroyed any chance he had of saving himself. It was obvious from the glare he got from Ibiki.

"…we're going to be watching you closely…you better not be lying to me, Kakashi…Mizuki tried that once…" Kakashi winced at the sympathy pain in his groin, but was quick to nod his head. Castration wasn't exactly something Kakashi _ever _wanted to experience…

Authoress:…yeaa…DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO THINK OF A COOL AND HIP /does a Gai-like pose/ NAME FOR IRUKA'S PROTECTORS?!…I was hungry when writing that bit…and WASABI just sounded so cool (and I'm trying so hard to keep this story humorous…I have too many angst ones going right now…/cries/)…their uniforms should be bright green or something…/sweat drops/ yea…I should eat something soon…of course, because I'm such a lazy person sometimes...this chapter is un-beta-ed (I'm sending the chapter to my wonderful betas as I speak...type...whatever...soo, I'm sorry for any mistakes there may be, but I thought everyone would want to read this chapter as soon as possible!...So, I'd like to thank Greenislovely-san for that one hundredth review…and I hope everyone liked this chapter and _reviews_…see what happens when you give me some feedback! You get a story just for you/waves/ so, until next chapter…sayonara!


	3. Chapter Two

Authoress//stares at her long list of things to do in amazement// GOMEN FOR NOT GETTING ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT SOONER!!!...I've been so busy with moving into college, getting settled in and everything…//cries over her neglected stories// but, now that I'm back, I promise no more long waits for chapters…until finals week that is…

Disclaimer:…now really…the only thing I own here is WASABI…heh…I still crack myself up over that creation…

Chapter Two

Limping back towards his tiny apartment, Kakashi cursed for one final time his brilliant plan of beating Gai. Who would have thought that the small chuunin who struck fear in the hearts of even ANBU members would have a whole army of guardians? Not to mention most of the WASABI members (at least, those Kakashi had recognized) were some of the people most afraid of Iruka, having been subject to the young man's violent mood swings personally and on multiple occasions!

_Damn Ibiki…damn Ebisu…damn all of them! _Kakashi growled, making a mental list of everyone he remembered from that drawn out "chat" with the members of the secret organization. He knew that, as soon as he was able to walk without the strange limp, he would definitely seek revenge. If it meant forcing his own team into doing his dirty work, he would…then again, when didn't he use the little demons so that he could rest comfortably for the entire day? Aah, sometimes it was worth taking on the genin team – it gave him hours of free time to read and/or plot against those he once considered friends. He took a deep breath as he looked up towards his dimly lit apartment building and was met with a stinging gust of air. _Oh, like my day couldn't get any worse…when the hell did it start raining?! _He cursed again, wondering how he hadn't noticed that he had been limping through a downpour that seemed to have no end in sight. For a moment he sighed, surprised to see that he could see his own breath amid the fat water droplets. He hadn't even realized that it was so cold out.

Kakashi stood up straight, knowing that if the other residents in his apartment complex saw him limping he'd never hear the end of it, and ignored the pain in his sprained ankles as he walked to the metal stairs he needed to climb to reach his apartment. On any other day, he would take the quick way and just jump or walk up a wall, but he knew that his legs were only minutes away from giving out and either action was far beyond his capabilities at the moment. If he pushed himself and were to slip and fall Gai and Asuma would mock him for the rest of their lives. He took a moment from his inward ranting to climb up the slippery flight of stairs to his apartment; all he needed to officially make tonight the worst night of his life was to fall down the stairs, most likely injuring himself more than he already was.

Once he finally reached the landing, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. One less thing for his "friends" to make fun of him for, but he knew that tomorrow morning they would have heard of a more interesting story than their comrade falling down the stairs and giving himself a concussion. _That's all I need…Gai making fun of me for being duped by a bunch of crazed Iruka fans…_ Kakashi dropped his head in shame. Why he ever trusted Ebisu's directions in the first place was beyond him. As he was about to berate himself for falling into WASABI's trap for the umpteenth time, Kakashi looked towards his door and froze, forgetting what exactly he was even hating himself for.

There was no mistaking who the shivering person was next to his door, but Kakashi couldn't believe it so he had to squat down and look at the sleeping chuunin's face at eye-level in order to make sure it wasn't another one of his friends' practical jokes. Seeing the smaller man's scar across his nose, and that the rest of his face matched that pale shade, sent a stab of regret through Kakashi. _He must have been sitting out here a while…_Kakashi realized as he stood back up and, without so much as a second thought, walked over to the wet ball of a teacher and picked him up. Kakashi was immediately surprised at how light Iruka was – especially considering the young man's clothes were soaked through – but tried to ignore that thought (and the accompanying mental image of Iruka sitting at Ichiraku's, waiting for him, starving, but being to polite too eat without him).

_Damn them all…_Kakashi thought to himself, again, ignoring the pang of guilt over standing up the teacher. He quickly unlocked his door and, as he slipped into his apartment, he didn't notice the devilish smirk creeping across the "sleeping" chuunin's face.

--

Checking the kettle on his small stove, Kakashi found it to be just as cold as it was a few seconds ago. Never in his whole life did a pot of water take so long to boil. Now adding water to his long list of things he hated, Kakashi grumbled as he leaned against the spotless counter. Everyone who entered his home was amazed that it was as clean as it was. Apparently everyone assumed him to be some kind of slob. Then again, he knew his "lazy" image didn't help that perception either. Kakashi knew his own students were afraid of ever coming to his apartment simply because they didn't want to lose one of their hell-spawned gang to the piles of dirty clothes and whatever else they imagined to be in here.

Kakashi sighed, trying to remember the last time he had actually cleaned the apartment, but came up with a date that was far too long ago. _Three years…damn…_ Kakashi looked down at the floor, amazed with how white its tiles still were after three years of neglect. Yep, being on so many missions that he hardly ever lived in his own home did have its perks. Following that thought pattern, Kakashi tried to remember the last time anyone, not including Gai – who had the uncanny ability to somehow enter his locked apartment whenever he was taking a shower –had even been in here. Again, he came up with a number that made him twitch slightly, now with the realization of how old he was getting.

_Maybe Gai's right…we're getting too old for flirting with people…_Kakashi thought, then rethought what he had actually just thought, the twitching now becoming an unbearable spasm. He had the brief thought of bashing his head into the immaculate counter, but that idea left him when his hands slipped from their hold on the edge of said counter and he found himself falling towards the ground. Before he actually reached the floor, Kakashi – with his streak of bad luck today – bashed his head into the corner of the countertop, into a drawer's knob, then the oven before finally landing on his rear, his head sliding the last few inches along the cabinet front. Kakashi didn't have to look back to know that it had left a bright red streak against the hardwood, having felt the warm drip at some earlier point in his comical fall.

Kakashi didn't even have the chance to check the wound in the back of his head before he felt a new searing pain in a completely different part of his body. The jounin merely glared at the kettle as it finished dumping steaming water on his lap, then rolled off him and hit the floor with a soft _clang_. "Perfect…just…" Kakashi bit back the string of colorful curses he had in mind, remembering the unconscious chuunin currently sprawled across his couch, probably ruining the suede with his soaked clothing. Kakashi shook that thought out of his mind, reminding himself about his bet with Gai. He had the sinking feeling Iruka would hear him despite the fact he wasn't exactly conscious and his chances of winning the violent chuunin over would be much less if he let Iruka know how his language (away from his students) was enough to destroy any innocent's ears. He couldn't risk letting Iruka get to know him. No one, not even the chuunin, would get out of his plot that easily, even though he was the reason Kakashi was heating up the water for tea and that he was currently destroying the jounin's couch with his rain-drenched clothes. Then again, he hated the couch and had been looking for a reason to get rid of it…and not have to explain to Anko why he was throwing out her present from years ago. The few times he had actually thought of gouging it with a kunai made him shiver in the mental images of Anko finding out and seeking revenge. He liked life too much to put a single scratch on the ugly piece of furniture.

Ignoring the burning that was slowly becoming an ebbing ache, Kakashi carefully stood up and tried to wipe away as much boiling water as he could. In the midst of his futile act, Kakashi wondered when the water had actually boiled, then again cursed water for its fickleness. _They should make water that boils instantly…oh, God, no…Naruto…instant ramen_ and_ instant boiling water …_Kakashi could only imagine the weight his bouncy student would pack on in a matter of hours with such an invention. Yes, it was better for everyone if Naruto never found a way to create such a thing.

Kakashi glimpsed over at his shivering "guest" and sighed. This meant putting on another pot of water and waiting for an insanely long period of time for it to boil. Grumbling under his breath, Kakashi quickly refilled the silver kettle and put it back on the hot burner. Kakashi, deciding that if he was to stand next to the oven and wait any longer, he'd go crazy, walked over to where the chuunin was curled up in a ball. He squatted down and looked at the pale teacher at eye-level. He had never seen the usually tan man so pale – not even when Iruka was having one of his fits over how _someone_ (usually the Copy Cat Nin) needed to take a class on writing proper mission reports and, while they were at it, take a class on how to write. Aaah, that brought back numerous memories of the chuunin chasing him out of the mission office, throwing another balled up report into the back of the jounin's head. Kakashi, if he hadn't been one of Iruka's "targets," wouldn't have believed the chuunin had a good throwing arm. Hell, if Iruka wanted, he probably could best all the jounin population in both accuracy _and_ distance with any projectile. If he could hit a jounin halfway across the village, still running as fast as possible, right in the back of his head with a piece of paper, he could definitely throw kunai and shuriken.

Kakashi fought the urge to rub the back of his head remembering how, even at that distance, Iruka had given him a large enough lump that Gai had wailed over his "youthful indiscretions" for an hour. For some reason, Gai always thought that if Kakashi had a mark on him, it was because one of his lovers had hit him. The creepy man just couldn't believe that the sweet, spirited Iruka could harm anyone. _Then again, Gai has never felt Iruka's wrath…_ Kakashi snickered at that thought, wishing that, just once, the Green Beast of Konoha would hand in a missions report late.

Kakashi pulled himself out of the violent, yet delightful, images of Gai being bombarded by razor-sharp reports by a crazed chuunin when he saw Iruka shiver out of the corner of his eye. Sighing, Kakashi put the back of his gloved hand against Iruka's forehead. Even through the layers of material and metal, Kakashi could instantly feel how cold the chuunin's skin was.

_Oh…there's gonna be some painful paper cuts tomorrow…_Kakashi thought to himself as he slid his arms underneath the wet teacher and gently lifted the younger shinobi into his arms, trying his hardest not to think of what Iruka would do to him in the morning. Once he had Iruka comfortably resting his head against his padded jacket, Kakashi slowly walked towards his room. When Kakashi stopped to open the locked door (he was always paranoid someone would go through his things if he wasn't home…), he felt the chuunin shift his weight, leaning in closer to the jounin's body. Kakashi couldn't help but look down at the teacher in his arms and smirk at how adorable Iruka looked, curled up with one hand resting on Kakashi's chest, breathing softly into the jounin's jacket. _Wait…did I just think he was cute?!_ Kakashi forced back the urge to smash his head into the doorframe as he finally got the door open and walked into the dark bedroom. The chuunin, no matter what he did, could never be considered cute. He was the spawn of Satan, just like his demonic students. All of the teens who had been taught by the small man were evil, annoying brats. There must be something Iruka did to them when they were young…

Kakashi shivered at the thought of Konohamaru becoming a genin in a few years. _Oh, Kami-sama…don't let me get him…_Kakashi found himself praying, knowing that he couldn't take on the child who worshipped the ground Naruto walked on. Not to mention the fact that, with Kakashi's streak of luck, he'd get the whole gang of Naruto-lovers.

Instantly making the promise to never let anyone con him into signing up to be a genin teacher again, Kakashi walked towards his bed, his eyes still focused on the chuunin in his arms. He couldn't shake that thought of Iruka being cute. The mere feeling of Iruka leaning into him, the way his one hand curled around the collar of Kakashi's jacket, the warm puffs of air seeping through the thick jacket and the underlying shirt to hit his bare skin…

_Oh, no!_ Kakashi stopped that idea right there before his Jiraiya-loving mind went too far with that train of thought…he knew that he had agreed with himself to somehow get the chuunin into his bed, but that didn't mean that he'd start fantasizing about the teacher.

Kakashi didn't want to develop any kind of feelings for the bipolar man in his arms, no matter how sweet Iruka was when he was unconscious. Doing his best to keep those kinds of thoughts from his conscious mind, Kakashi laid the younger man down on his bed. Once he had extracted his arms from underneath the chuunin, Kakashi glanced down at Iruka and sighed. He knew better than to just leave the teacher, soaking wet, on his bed. If it was anyone else, he knew he'd have first thrown them in a tub of ice and, if that didn't wake them, he'd throw whoever it was back outside in the freezing rain. But, Kakashi remembered with a twinge of pain, he lied and told WASABI that he "honestly" liked Iruka. They would kill him if they found out that he had thrown their beloved Iruka-sensei out on his rear in this cold weather. _ No, that's not how you treat someone you're supposed to like_, Kakashi reminded himself, but there was only one thing he could do if he was going to "like" Iruka for the next few weeks. Too bad there was no other way around what he needed to do.

With a wince at imagining what Iruka would do to him when he woke up, Kakashi slowly unzipped the young man's jacket and carefully slid Iruka's arms out of the soaked article of clothing. He knew that taking the teacher's jacket off wasn't enough – Iruka's clothes had been soaked through and, unless Kakashi wanted to explain himself not only to the doe-eyed teacher, but all of WASABI and Tsunade (who would no doubt find out Iruka had to be sent to the hospital for pneumonia), he knew he had to strip the man out of all his clothes.

While praying that there was some kind of god that kept the young man's pants, for the most part, dry, Kakashi went to work removing the wet, skin-tight black shirt that was clinging to Iruka like a second skin. Kakashi couldn't help but notice how, even while wearing a long-sleeved shirt, Iruka was quite muscular…far more muscular than your ordinary pre-genin teacher. Then again, Kakashi reminded himself, the only other teacher he knew was Ebisu…and, well, if Iruka was less muscular than that strange creature, he would admit defeat to Gai right now. There was no way he could sleep with someone like Ebisu.

Inwardly twitching at the image of Ebisu naked, Kakashi lost all urge to study the chuunin's anatomy. Without so much as a perverted second thought, Kakashi sat Iruka up against the pillows and proceeded to pull the stubborn piece of cloth off him. _God, no wonder no one wants kids…_Kakashi thought to himself, just trying to imagine what a difficult thing it would be to dress someone who was resisting him. It was hard enough to take clothes _off_ an _unconscious_ person!

Kakashi froze while trying to imagine someone dressing a hyper, baby Naruto (while shivering and pitying the imaginary person), sensing a change in the chuunin. The brunette's breath had sped up for a moment, as though he was finally coming out of his comatose-like state. Kakashi dare not even move, praying that Iruka wouldn't wake up to see the jounin stripping him down. That's all Kakashi needed tonight…one crazy chuunin beating the crap out of him would end his day perfectly.

Sensing Iruka's breathing slowing down, Kakashi went back to work peeling the shirt off of the man. Once he had finally wrestled Iruka's limp arms out of the shirt and pulled it over his head, Kakashi sat back with a sigh of relief. Iruka hadn't woken up to kill him yet.

Kakashi glance down at the chuunin, trying his hardest to keep his eyes off of Iruka's perfectly sculpted chest, which was far more defined than even his wet shirt had hinted at. His arms and shoulders curved with lithe muscles underneath the dark skin. Even his abdomen was a masterpiece. The jounin shook his head, wondering where such thoughts had come from. Never, in all his years of aggravating the chuunin, had he ever been, in any way, attracted to the young man. No, it had to be due to Jiraiya-sama's new novel, which Kakashi had finished within a matter of minutes. It was a nosebleed to end all nosebleeds and, for the perverted shinobi to admit that, it was quite the PWP (A/N: Porn Without a Plot…for those fragile minds who have yet to find one of those stories…). Kakashi took a deep breath before letting his gaze return to the half-naked chuunin. It was only a matter of seconds before Iruka's skin erupted in goose bumps and the chuunin returned to his earlier shivering. With one arm, the jounin lifted the younger shinobi up off the bed and while Iruka's cold body rested against him, he turned down the bed and quickly put the shaking chuunin underneath the blankets.

As soon as Iruka was completely covered by the few layers of blankets, Kakashi looked down at the younger man. It looked like the chuunin was shivering less and that some color was coming back to his face. Kakashi, going against his screaming conscience, bent down and gently brushed a few wet strands of hair from the chuunin's face. Iruka looked much less stern when that vein of his wasn't bulging as he screamed at the jounin or one of his comrades who, somehow, had never learned better than to piss off the man. If nothing else, Iruka looked much younger than he really was.

Kakashi thought for a moment about his ridiculous bet with Gai. There was no way the Green Beast was going to beat him – even if Kakashi was actually going to try finding his "soul mate." The jounin inwardly chuckled, knowing that such romantic notions didn't exist. The only thing that mattered in a relationship was the physical and, in some rare cases, there was that mental connection between equals. Kakashi had known such a relationship once, but he died so long ago, the jounin sometimes doubted if he had even felt such things or if it was all some kind of fabrication he built over the long, lonely years. If it wasn't for the name etched deeply in the stone as well as his unnatural eye, Kakashi would have doubted if Obito existed…if he really was part of a genin team at one point in his life. It was such a different life back then.

The jounin nearly fell off the bed when a loud whistling erupted from the kitchen. Remembering the cursed water, Kakashi slid off of the bed and, taking one last glance at the chuunin curled up in his bed, left the room and returned to the kitchen.

Once he was sure the jounin was out of the room, Iruka cracked open an eye and glanced around. The bedroom, much like the rest of the jounin's apartment, was immaculate and entirely unlike the messy shinobi who lived in it. Thinking about the uncharacteristic behavior Kakashi had, unknowingly, shown the chuunin got Iruka to blush slightly. He had to force himself not to squirm when Kakashi had taken his shirt off. No matter how innocent the jounin's reasons were, Iruka had the feeling he had gotten some kind of pleasure out of it. Then again, it was _Kakashi_. There wasn't a kind bone in the man's body.

Iruka knew he would have been fuming right now over Kakashi standing him up, but he had noticed how the jounin was limping. Not to mention the little stunt in the kitchen before. The man was obviously not having much luck today. If it had been anyone else, Iruka would have given up on his act when the man had slipped and bashed his head into the cabinet, but he knew Kakashi would be fine and, even after sitting outside for a little while, his anger towards the jounin was still there. Even if Kakashi had gotten into some kind of accident, he had no reason to blow off their "date."

Iruka had sat outside long enough to think over what had happened today, so he was already over the original anger and was just left with the last few shreds of aggravation over his own terrible day. Kakashi apparently believed his acting, even though he would have gotten pneumonia if he had actually sat outside as long as the jounin assumed he had been. In all truth, he had only started to feel the cold by the time the jounin had started hobbling up the staircase. It was a good thing that he was always good at faking shivering and that little jutsu to lower his blood temperature didn't hurt his entire act, either.

Iruka sat up slowly, keeping his concentration on the jounin's chakra, which was still moving around the kitchen. He touched his forehead in the exact spot Kakashi's fingers had so gingerly brushed against him before. Iruka had never known the jounin could be so gentle, let alone so caring as to take the chuunin in, attempt to make him tea, and give up his bed so that the chuunin could warm up.

_Maybe he really does like me…_Iruka thought, not noticing the small smile that came to his face as he laid back down and curled up underneath the warm blankets. He had never noticed before, but the jounin's distinctive scent – which permeated the entire apartment – wasn't all that bad. Iruka wasn't willing to outwardly admit it, but he kind of liked the smell, and, in some ways, its owner.

--

Authoress: …alright, I'm going to stop there for now…I wanted to get this chapter done as soon as possible, but between term papers, getting ready for concerts, tae kwon do tests (yep…I'm already a yellow belt!!), and such, I haven't had much free time. But, now that I've only got two weeks of classes left, then finals, I should be getting a few more chapters out soon!! Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and, please, review!!! It gives authors the energy to write new chapters!!!


	4. Chapter Three

Authoress: yosh! I'm back again with a shiny, new chapter to The Most Youthful Challenge!! For those of you who are following my other stories, I'm sure you guys are amazed at how much I've been updating lately…I wanted to get out new chapters on all my stories before going back to college…I'm taking an overload of credits this upcoming semester, so I'm not sure how much free time I'll have to write…//sighs// damn 21 credits…just because I want my psych and Japanese minors…college would be a breeze if I wasn't planning on 3 minors (the third being chemistry)…darn you, pre-med major!!

Disclaimer:…a poor college student really owns Naruto...surprise!...I wish…//sniffles// could you imagine what kind of episodes/chapters the series would have//goes starry-eyed// every manga would be plastic-wrapped and you'd need ID to even pick them up! Kukuku…

**Chapter Three**

Iruka sighed softly as he studied the room, keeping a close watch on the jounin's chakra on the other side of the apartment so he would know when Kakashi was coming back. The room was quite reserved compared to its owner – surprisingly, there wasn't a single weapon, scroll, or pornographic novel in sight. Iruka slowly sat up, holding the blankets to cover his bare chest. Even alone, he didn't feel too comfortable with his mode of undress – then again, he was in a perverted shinobi's apartment; there was no telling how Kakashi could be spying on him right now.

He felt the jounin's chakra waver for a moment, and then relax. Iruka could easily place Kakashi in the small kitchen he was laying in a little while ago. From the jounin's lack of movement, he guessed the Copy Cat Nin was sitting down for a moment of rest. He didn't see Kakashi's earlier fall, but he heard the loud crashing and had to wince. The man must have been having a terrible day. Slowly, hoping that Kakashi wasn't tricking him in some way, Iruka stood up and quickly glanced around, hoping to find his clothes.

_Damn it…where's my shirt?_ Iruka wondered as he found the room to be immaculate – there wasn't an article of clothing in sight. Looking around the room for a moment, Iruka caught sight of a small closet. Before he thought about what he was doing – and realizing it could be called snooping, trespassing, and otherwise illegal – Iruka let go of the sheets and silently walked over to the door. He opened the closet up, slightly surprised the paranoid, cautious jounin didn't have it locked or covered in jutsus, and found that the closet, like the rest of the man's house was quite organized. All of Kakashi's clothes were perfectly folded on their shelves or, in the case of his several jackets, hung up – all facing the same direction, zipped up all the way and all pockets buttoned. _Anal much?_ Iruka wondered, studying the way Kakashi's pants and shirts were all folded and placed much like his jackets – in the exact same way. If he didn't know better, Iruka would have wondered if Kakashi ever actually wore these clothes.

Catching a glimpse of a shirt that didn't match the rest of the dark clothing in the closet, Iruka picked up the pale material from the shelf it was sitting on. He unfolded the shirt and found himself having to bite back a laugh as he looked at the ultimate in fandom. The picture of Jiraiya, proudly posing with a pen and piece of paper with a group of scantily clad, busty women around him as he sat on a pile of what Iruka guessed to be his novels was just too much until he saw the signature towards the bottom of the shirt. _He had it autographed?!_ Iruka inwardly snorted as he gently folded the shirt back up and put it back in its proper place, knowing he had already found something he could easily use for blackmail if it came to that.

Quickly taking inventory of the rest of the small room, Iruka saw a tall dresser that he had somehow missed before. He opened the top drawer, finding kunai pouches neatly lined up sitting in it. Gently lifting one up and finding it to be quite heavy, Iruka guessed all the pouches were filled with weapons. Similarly, he found the next drawer down to be filled with neatly organized bags of shuriken. The third and last drawer was, surprisingly, locked. It only took Iruka a moment of concentration to unlock the drawer with a jutsu Kiba and Naruto had discovered in one of their first years at the academy – a jutsu he was now glad the two deviants had taught him when he discovered them with the answers to the next day's big test. He knelt down in front of the drawer, curious to know what would be in the drawer.

He opened the drawer slowly, focusing his chakra on the piece of furniture, but finding not a single jutsu attached to the only locked thing in Kakashi's entire closet. Iruka's eyes widened when he saw a black box to the right of the drawer and twin swords on the other side. He lifted the two blades out of the drawer as carefully as possible, memorizing their exact position so the jounin wouldn't notice he had gone through his things. Iruka was about to pull one of the blades out of its dark sheathe when he saw something shining from where the swords had just been laying. Placing the swords down on the floor, Iruka lifted the thin strip of metal out of the drawer. He immediately recognized it as a hitai-ate, but furrowed his eyebrows as he studied it more closely. From its style, he knew it to be much older than the protectors every shinobi was given nowadays. It was also much smaller than an adult's hitai-ate, which only confused him more. If he had to guess, he would say it was Kakashi's hitai-ate from when he was young, but he knew that a shinobi was only given a new forehead protector when their old one was destroyed – whether accidentally in battle or on purpose when they moved up in status level to chuunin or jounin. The point behind only having one hitai-ate per shinobi was to keep the chances of someone infiltrating the village under the disguise of a Konoha shinobi down. If they had a real hitai-ate and weren't using any jutsu to change their features, it was very hard to tell that they were enemies unless an expansive search was done to figure out if they were actual shinobi from Konohagure. Usually, by the time it was discovered the shinobi wasn't from the village, their risky mission had already been completed.

Iruka looked over the hitai-ate for another minute, wondering if it might be from one of Kakashi's old teammates – both who were rumored to have been killed while still young. Iruka was about to put the old protector back when he saw a second piece of metal glittering in the drawer. This one, unlike the small one he held in his hands, Iruka could immediately tell was an adult's and, from its style, was also an older hitai-ate. He brushed the tattered material that covered most of the hitai-ate away and froze when he saw the deep crack through the center of it. _No, not a crack…_Iruka realized as he looked at the metal, too afraid to even touch it as his heart sped up and he lost the ability to breathe. He could see the mark was a scratch that went straight through Konoha's symbol – the mark of a traitor. He quickly put the youth's hitai-ate back over the terrifying object, his heartbeat still racing. Iruka knew Kakashi to be one of the most loyal shinobi to exist, but to have a traitor's hitai-ate in his home was more than suspicious. Iruka looked down at the two swords resting next to him on the floor and remembered the stories – the whispers – he had heard about Kakashi's father. _He was considered a traitor…because he killed himself…_Iruka reminded himself, his heartbeat starting to finally slow down as he theorized why Kakashi would own such a thing. Iruka carefully set the blades back over the hitai-ates – both of which were illegal to possess, but he could understand why the jounin held onto them, so he knew he wouldn't say anything about them.

Iruka then looked at the black box on the other side of the drawer and, somewhat hesitant to know what else Kakashi could be hiding, lifted the heavy box out and set it down on the floor. Studying the rectangular object, now seeing it wasn't simply a box, but a chest, Iruka flipped open the latches on the chest and slowly lifted back the hinged lid. Almost as soon as he opened the box, he slammed the chest shut with an echoing _bang_, having only gotten a glimpse of the dark material and white mask in it. _His ANBU uniform…_Iruka had immediately recognized it, knowing that he couldn't look at the mask long enough to etch it in his memory. To know an ANBU member's true identity was dangerous. Not only would your own life be in danger – because of both the ANBU and whatever enemies wanted to know such precious knowledge would come after you – but that ANBU member's as well for the same reasons. He had only heard of a few instances where Konoha's own citizens _disappeared _one night because they were said to know a certain ANBU member's identity. The ANBU couldn't risk having anyone outside their own ranks to know such things and took drastic measures – even against their own – to keep identities a complete secret. Iruka quickly closed the latches and set the chest back in its rightful place and silently closed the drawer.

_No wonder it was locked…_Iruka thought to himself, wondering why Kakashi wouldn't put more protection on such important items than a simple lock, then remembered the jounin's room had been locked. He was so concerned on feigning unconsciousness, Iruka hadn't noticed whether or not the room itself had been protected by any jutsu, only that Kakashi had used a key to open the door.

Iruka quickly stood back up, trying to forget that mask as well as the urge to get a better look at it. He looked around the closet again and quickly picked up one of the jounin's many folded shirts and threw it on. Iruka was immediately amazed at how soft the material was and, for a moment, found himself wondering what Kakashi put in his laundry and if the jounin would share his secret. Shaking his head at such a strange thought, Iruka slipped out of the closet and closed the door as quietly as possible. He quickly checked on Kakashi's chakra, noticing it had hardly moved since he had gotten out of the bed. Raising an eyebrow at this, Iruka padded across the room and opened the door. He peeked into the hallway, wondering if the jounin's chakra was some kind of trick, but didn't see the man waiting outside. Breathing a sigh of relief, hoping Kakashi didn't hear the loud bang the chest had made when he quickly shut it, Iruka walked down the hallway towards the jounin's chakra.

As soon as he reached the living room, which was attached to the kitchen, Iruka caught a glimpse of the jounin and again found his heart racing. Kakashi was sprawled out across the couch and, now seeing the piece of furniture he had been laying on before, Iruka realized how ugly it was and didn't feel at all bad for soaking it. Kakashi looked like he was sleeping, which was strange enough in itself considering the uncomfortable position he was in, but what had gotten Iruka to almost jump was the dark stain trailing down the back of the couch to where the jounin's head was resting on the armrest.

_Baka…_Iruka inwardly grumbled as he walked over to the man and noticed that the stain wasn't simply contained to the couch, but had already seeped into the armrest, the jounin's normally green jacket, and, somehow, Iruka knew the one side of the man's black mask was also soaked through.

Iruka knelt down next to the couch and studied the man's face. Kakashi was naturally pale, but right now was a few shades lighter than usual. "Oi…" Iruka said softly as he patted the jounin's cheek, remembering the few times he had actually tried to wake other jounin out of their naps and had to dodge kunai like crazy – wondering where the hell all the weapons were coming from – until the sleepy shinobi realized where they were and who he was. It wasn't a happy memory on Iruka's part. He was about to jump back when he saw the man's one visible eye flicker open, but froze when he saw the jounin's unfocused gaze. "Kakashi…?" Iruka spoke gently, hoping not to surprise the jounin into attacking him – if he thought Kurenai was a bad person to wake up, he couldn't imagine what the Copy Cat Nin would do if he thought he was an enemy.

"Uh…" the jounin mumbled, blinking his eye slowly, then finally coming to look at Iruka. "'Ru…ka?" Iruka could immediately hear the slur in his speech, but kept himself from becoming worried, having known some people – like Naruto – who always were like this when they woke up. Then again, how many people slurred their speech when their blood was everywhere? Kakashi recognized him, though, so Iruka breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"Can you sit up?" Iruka asked, not wanting to touch the man just yet. In Asuma's case, it wasn't talking to him, but trying to shake him awake that set him off… The chuunin shivered, remembering how deadly that black-lunged moron could be with his lighter and cigarettes. Kakashi moved his head in what Iruka guessed to be a nod and Iruka stepped back as Kakashi, with a great deal of effort, pushed himself up into a sitting position. Almost instantly, Kakashi slumped forwards, holding the back of his head.

"Kuso!" the jounin cursed painfully. Iruka let out a deep breath of air, relieved to hear the man was slowly returning to normal – or as normal as Kakashi got. The silver-haired shinobi lifted his head enough that he could look at Iruka, but kept a tight hold on the back of his head where he could feel the gentle, warm flow of blood slide between his fingers. "Damn tea…"

If Iruka hadn't been awake for Kakashi's fall before, he knew he would have been puzzled by the man's statement, so he had to bite back an outright laugh and feign confusion. "Are you okay, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, genuinely worried about the man. It wasn't that often that a jounin would pass out, bleeding all over his couch, then wake up slightly disoriented.

"Fine…I get attacked by WASABI, then damn instant water…" the jounin snorted and, for a moment, Iruka swore he could tell the man was pouting. The chuunin merely raised an eyebrow at the 'instant water' part and then tried to think of why a condiment would attack him. After a moment of thinking about it, he remembered the rumors of the secret gang that went by the same name as the green sauce. Iruka studied the jounin, seeing no other obvious, severe injuries than the one on the back of his head that he had given himself. For the group to best a jounin like Kakashi, they must be quite powerful. Iruka wondered momentarily why a gang would call itself Wasabi and, as though Kakashi knew what he was thinking, added, "It's an acronym…a stupid one, too…"

"…okay…" Iruka felt that it was safe enough to get closer to Kakashi, since the man was apparently awake from their confusing conversation. He leaned in towards the jounin and, placing his fingers under the man's masked chin, Iruka lifted Kakashi's head up and studied his face. "Do you feel dizzy or anything, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, wondering how hard the man had whacked himself in the head. From what he had heard, it was a pretty good hit. Kakashi shook his head, his one eye staring at him.

Iruka knew he had to look at the jounin's injury before deciding if he had to take Kakashi to the hospital. He knew almost all shinobi – especially those as powerful and proud as the man sitting in front of him – would ignore any pain they had and lie if asked how they felt. Iruka could only imagine how Kakashi would be mocked if the rest of the jounin community found out he had to go to the hospital after falling and hitting his head in his own home. He pulled Kakashi's hand away from the back of his head – not without a fight on the jounin's part – and when he finally succeeded, Iruka winced as he studied the back of the man's head; almost all of his hair was stained a bright crimson and, with a few gentle prods, Iruka could feel the barest of cracks in the man's skull. _How do you crack your skull by slipping in the kitchen?_ Iruka wondered to himself as he pulled his hand away from the jounin's head and sighed. If it had only been a cut, he would have been more lenient with the man, but he knew that if Kakashi had cracked the bone, there could be more serious injuries than just the bloody cut that had yet to fully clot in the back of his head.

"You're really cute…" Iruka froze when he heard the jounin's comment, instantly admitting that he was taking the man to the hospital, even if Kakashi had to be dragged in, kicking and screaming by every jounin Iruka could find on the way there. For a moment, Iruka basked in the wonderful image that created, then felt slightly ashamed for thinking of such a thing as good. Kakashi hurt himself trying to "help" Iruka and all the chuunin was thinking of was how much pleasure he would get out of stripping Kakashi of his pride.

"Um…thank you…" Iruka replied, leaning back on his heels so he could look into the jounin's face. Even for Kakashi, the man's current expression was quite blank. "Kakashi…you have to go to the hospital, okay? You hit your head pretty hard before." Iruka slowly stood up, pulling the jounin up with him. He almost fell back down, finding the jounin to be surprisingly heavy for his thin frame. Staggering under Kakashi's weight as the man fell forwards, leaning against him, Iruka audibly eeped when the taller man's hand brushed against his posterior.

_Go through my closet, will you…kukuku…_Kakashi smirked into Iruka's shoulder as he felt the younger man tense under him. Upon waking up, he had immediately noticed the chuunin was wearing one of his shirts – all of which he knew to be in the closet in his room; the same closet that held quite personal items. He had a feeling Iruka knew exactly what was in the only locked drawer in his closet – someone like Iruka must have a few tricks up his sleeve if he was able to teach those demons Kakashi called his genin team.

Of course, Kakashi had to wonder where that 'cute' comment had come from as Iruka half-dragged him towards the front door. He admitted the chuunin wasn't half bad looking before when he carried the sleeping man into his room, but he hadn't meant to say it out loud just now. Well, having already said it, Kakashi knew all he could do was make Iruka think it was the head injury and the jounin knew he would milk this injury as much as possible. As soon as Iruka got him out the door, Kakashi made it a point to "innocently touch" – AKA grope – the poor chuunin as they staggered along the blessedly empty streets. The last thing either of them needed was people to see the chuunin having to steady the bleeding jounin as they walked along or Kakashi grabbing Iruka at every opportunity. Kakashi tried to ignore it, but a part of him couldn't help but admit he liked the way Iruka squeaked every time he did it or how the chuunin blushed furiously for their entire walk.

--

Authoress: aw, Kakashi's getting a little bit of revenge…then again, he deserves it after WASABI, ne?...so, thank all of you for reading and I can't wait to hear what you think of how the story's coming along!! So please review or I won't know how much to get back at Kakashi next chapter! Kukuku!!


	5. Chapter Four

Authoress: Yosh! I'm back again with a new chapter of The Most Youthful Challenge!! I'm currently on my spring break for college, so I've had quite a bit of free time – ah, how I love procrastinating…/cries/ I don't wanna do all my Honors work!! And what better way of putting it off than writing a little Yaoi?!

Disclaimer: …I wish…/cries/

**Chapter Four**

Iruka yawned softly, stretching back in the hard chair he had been sitting in for the past few hours. Whoever designed such chairs must have been planning to torture anyone who sat in them for more than a few minutes. The chuunin extended his arms out in front of himself, getting several satisfying cracks from his joints as he did so. Iruka could just imagine Naruto parroting his constant protesting whenever the blonde did the same thing. He shifted in the seat, knowing that the idea cracking joints and knuckles was bad was just an old wives' tale. The only chance he had in harming himself by doing so was by overdoing it. Iruka remembered the last time he had done just that and had dislocated one finger while also pulling all the muscles in his hand. It wasn't a pleasant experience at all.

Finally finding a less painful position on the only part of his behind that wasn't numb or prickling painfully, Iruka sat back again and watched the motionless jounin. For a moment, Iruka cursed the silver-haired man, knowing Kakashi was a great deal more comfortable than he was. Bringing his legs up onto the chair, Iruka curled up in the hellish creation and wondered, for what must have been the thousandth time, why exactly he had felt the need to stay by the jounin's side.

As soon as he had entered the hospital, the nurses had taken one look at Kakashi and Iruka could see they recognized the man from the huffs he got as they calmly led him to a room. The chuunin had been surprised that they hadn't even asked once what happened to Kakashi – then again, it didn't look like they cared a great deal. Even the doctor, after taking his sweet time to even get to the room, quickly checked the jounin's head and said he'd be fine, then briskly left again.

One nurse had finally been kind enough to give the jounin a few stitches and bandaging him up _before_ giving him any painkillers. From the way Kakashi had immediately been knocked out once she gave him the injection, it must have been some heavy-duty tranquilizer. _They probably gave him something that could take down a full-grown elephant…_Iruka thought, remembering the last time he had been close to one of those massive creatures. A drug that could calm something that big down would most definitely work on the stubborn jounin. Then again, the hospital might just make it their policy to knock out any jounin who is dragged in for medical attention – an injured, slightly psychotic shinobi (Iruka knew better than to assume Konoha's jounin were anywhere close to sane) running around freely would be quite a insurance liability.

Iruka leaned forward enough that he could see the sleeping jounin's face – or what wasn't covered by bandages or his mask. Kakashi – even half-unconscious as he was when Iruka brought him in – fought to keep his mask on. The only thing Iruka and the nurses could do was get him to finally relinquish his hitai-ate after the poor chuunin was forced to hold Kakashi down (and be groped to no ends in the process) while the nurses took away the metal plate and quickly cleaned Kakashi's wound. The brunette sighed, wishing there had been another way other than sitting on the jounin to keep him still enough for the quick doctor's visit and the few stitches the one nurse finally gave him. The feeling of Kakashi's muscular body writhing underneath him wasn't exactly something Iruka ever _wanted_ to experience. The jounin's haggard breathing – along with his own – hadn't helped matters either. Iruka buried his head into his bent knee, wondering what exactly the nurses had thought of that display of physical dominance. They probably assumed he and Kakashi quite _close_ – who else would actually bring the pervert to the hospital and spend the night there? Iruka shook his head, knowing his kind heart was only making matters worse. He had actually tried leaving once Kakashi was out, but hadn't been able to even leave the room. Iruka had wondered if anyone would check in on Kakashi – if anyone even cared that the jounin was in the hospital in the first place. Realizing Kakashi had no family – and the few friends Iruka knew him to have weren't the type to check up on him – Iruka pitied the silver-haired man and, somehow, ended up back in the terribly uncomfortable chair.

Iruka sighed as he watched the jounin's chest gently rise and fall. A small part of him couldn't help but remember how warm Kakashi's breath had been – how well-defined his chest was – when he had to wrestle him to the floor. Iruka, for a moment, wondered if he would be able to beat the jounin if Kakashi hadn't been injured. Even as built Kakashi was, Iruka knew from their scuffle that he was _physically_ stronger than the jounin, but hadn't used even a fraction of his strength because he was afraid of further hurting the silver-haired man. The brunette found himself smiling, knowing that most people dismissed him as a weak chuunin simply because he was a pre-genin teacher. No one ever thought that he would have to have the speed and strength that rivaled some jounin just in order to keep the children from killing themselves or each other. A child on a sugar-high holding a kunai or shuriken was, by far, one of the most dangerous things to exist.

Looking at Kakashi now, Iruka wondered how it was Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were still alive. The man must have very little patience with those three – and Iruka knew them to be far more aggravating than your average teens, which only made it worse. Naruto had told him, time and time again, that Kakashi trained them so hard, it was abuse. Remembering his own genin days, Iruka knew that was just how jounin trained their students since, for the most part, they didn't know of any other way. The blonde had, however, admitted that they were improving under Kakashi's tutelage. The thing that really pissed Naruto off about his teacher, however, was Kakashi's mask. From what Iruka had heard from other shinobi, no one had ever seen the face hidden underneath that black material. Almost everyone believed the jounin had gruesome scars that he was trying to conceal, but there were some – like Anko and Kurenai – who thought Kakashi might be hiding his face simply because he was gorgeous and the silver-haired man didn't want anyone to know that.

_Why would he not want people to know he was handsome?_ Iruka wondered, starting to believe the kunoichi's reasons for Kakashi's mask. The man didn't seem like the kind of person that would be ashamed of a scar or a deformity and see the need to cover it up, but, then again, who would want to hide their beauty? A part of the chuunin wondered if the nurse gave Kakashi enough tranquilizers to keep him out long enough for Iruka to peek underneath the mask, but as soon as he thought such a thing, Iruka almost hit himself. He knew he couldn't betray Kakashi's trust like that. The jounin was entitled to his secrets, just like everyone else, and Iruka knew better than to pry into the man's life. If he was a close friend of Kakashi's, it might be a different story, but as things stood, he only knew the man from the missions office, the tidbits Naruto and other shinobi gave him, and tonight's brief display of true kindness. No one ever used 'kind' or 'compassionate' to describe Kakashi, but the man had been those exact things tonight. Not once was he the lewd, selfish jounin everyone said he was. Well, except for standing Iruka up, but the brunette had already forgiven him for that. Kakashi had apparently met up with WASABI and that was what had kept him from making their date and Iruka knew he couldn't blame Kakashi for that.

Kakashi, in all actuality, was the sweetest, gentlest person Iruka had met – at least, he was tonight. Most people wouldn't take in an almost complete stranger, give up their own bed, do everything possible to make him comfortable, _and_ trust him enough to leave him alone in their own bedroom. The image of that white mask surfaced in Iruka's mind and he quickly shook it away before he started to put distinct features to the object. Wondering how long exactly Kakashi would be out, Iruka glanced out the window and was surprised to see a pink sky, revealing he had been keeping a vigil over the jounin all night.

Guessing it to be somewhere around six in the morning, Iruka knew he had to get back home, shower and get dressed, then go to the academy so he could get ready for today's classes. Thinking of something that wouldn't be too trying on his energy, Iruka started thinking up of a new lesson plan that worked with his lack of sleep. _A entire day of writing would probably make the kids revolt…what about practicing mediation…they really _do_ have to start learning some control…_Iruka thought to himself, knowing sparring, weapon lessons, and chakra control were out of the question. It was difficult enough to watch over the entire class when he was at his best, but to do any lessons of that sort when he was tired would be dangerous for everyone.

Finally deciding on a few lessons of history, math, and a bit of mediation, Iruka unwound his limbs and dislodged himself from the horrendous chair. He took a step towards the bed and leaned down so he could see the jounin's half-covered face. Kakashi looked blissfully unaware of his surroundings and, for a moment, Iruka again found himself wondering if the jounin would notice if he took off his mask. Smiling, Iruka shook his head and, instead, settled for just touching the man's covered cheek with the backs of his fingers. Kakashi must have felt the gentle caress even unconscious as he was, since he slowly pressed his cheek into Iruka's hand. Iruka couldn't help but inwardly think how cute the jounin was – only when he was asleep, though. When awake, Kakashi was crude, perverted, constantly mocking others, stubborn, proud, and otherwise your average jounin, but when alone or sleeping, he was someone else entirely. Iruka, before he realized what he was doing, found himself leaning even closer to the jounin and gingerly pressing his lips on the sleeping man's forehead.

Iruka slowly pulled back and stepped away from the bed, his eyes trained on the jounin. While inwardly praying that Kakashi didn't wake up – since he was sure the jounin would make fun of him for such a display of affection – a part of him still wondered if Kakashi would react like that. He didn't think the man able to show softer emotions until last night, but perhaps it was only a fluke. Iruka hoped it wasn't a one-time thing on Kakashi's part when he saw the jounin's masked lips move, curving up in a smile. For a moment, Iruka swore his heart skipped a beat, but he quickly shook his head. He didn't know Kakashi – let alone _like_ the man enough to have any kind of feelings for him…did he? With that disturbing thought in mind, Iruka quickly left the hospital room and headed in the direction of his own apartment.

Once he was could no longer feel the chuunin's chakra, Kakashi cracked open one eye and surveyed the room. Finding the small hospital room completely empty, he dared to bring a sluggish hand up to his cheek where Iruka had touched him so gently, he hadn't even realized the chuunin's hand had been there until he shifted his head and found the man's fingers resting against his cheek. He then brought that same hand up to his forehead, where he could still feel the warmth the chuunin's soft lips had left behind. If they hadn't given him enough drugs to knock out your average jounin – or some kind of monstrous animal – he probably would have jumped at the unexpected caress. It was hard enough to lay there and feign sleep when he finally came out of the comatose-like state the drugs had put him in for a little while. Realizing Iruka was still there, giving up the comforts of his own bed in order to sit in one of those hellish hospital chairs just to watch over him, was quite a surprise. As soon as he did come around, Kakashi immediately began wondering what Iruka would do if he believed him to be asleep, so there he laid for hours and was amazed when the only thing Iruka did for most of that time was shift positions in the chair and stretch. He never once got up and came closer to the bed – he never satisfied his own curiosity and removed the jounin's mask. Kakashi had been struck dumb by that realization. He knew everyone in the shinobi community wondered what he was hiding – even someone like Iruka had to be interested – but the chuunin had the perfect opportunity to try finding out, but he didn't. Kakashi could feel his mask was exactly where he always had it, so he knew the chuunin hadn't touched it while he was asleep; which was another reason he pretended to be sleeping.

Iruka's curiosity never once got the better of him. Even when he was leaving, the chuunin didn't make a single move to pull down his mask. If he had tried at any point when Kakashi was awake, the jounin knew he would drop the sleeping act and use his astonishing speed to stop the teacher's attempts. Kakashi, glad that he could now move from the uncomfortable position he had been laying in for hours, slowly sat up, finding his muscles to be much weaker than usual. _What the hell did they give me?_ He wondered, but knew better than to ever ask the medical staff. If they knew he was up, they would just give him a larger dose next time…or, worse, try something stronger on him. Kakashi remembered the first time he had ever been admitted into the hospital as a jounin – an entire week of his life was lost from the drugs they gave him for a simple broken nose. Over the years, he and the rest of his jounin friends had worked up amazing resistances to the medicine doctors seemed to think all jounin needed to "calm down." When the hospital realized how ineffective their drugs were on Asuma, they started the trend of giving the man an IV _drip_ of the stuff as soon as he set foot on hospital grounds – even if he wasn't the one injured! Kakashi snickered, knowing that was one of the reasons no one ever visited him when he was admitted for something or another – images of Asuma after that first overdose always ran through their minds and they feared the hospital would find out about their own resistance to a normal – safe – dose. Kakashi recalled how pale Asuma had been for months after that event, how he wasn't even able to stop his tremors long enough to light a cigarette, but the most amusing thing Asuma's friends discovered was that the burly man had developed a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder. The mere mention of needles or rubbing alcohol sent Asuma flying underneath the closest piece of furniture, crying that they wouldn't take him alive this time. In moments like that, the only thing that could get him to come out was Kurenai's gentle voice, telling him that she wouldn't let the doctors take him without a fight.

Kakashi, for a moment, thought about those two shinobi and their enviable relationship. Everyone wished they would find something like that – a friendship, a partnership…a relationship like Asuma and Kurenai's. Those two were polar opposites, but they completed each other in such a way that no one could imagine what the two were like before meeting each other. Kakashi looked up at the room's white ceiling, thinking about his and Gai's bet. Asuma and Kurenai had known each other since their genin days, but it had still taken them years to work up the courage to admit their attraction towards each other. Kakashi sighed, wondering if he'd ever meet his other half. He was already in his mid-twenties and, like Gai said, they were starting to get older. For a moment, Kakashi wondered how old was too old to find someone. Everyone he knew who had a successful, long-term relationship had been dating – if not already married to – their partner by his age. That realization made Kakashi feel even older than the time he found out Jiraiya was celebrating twenty years of writing the Icha Icha series.

Kakashi gently touched his forehead again, wondering if the chuunin had actually known he was awake. If he did, then Iruka must have kissed him just to confuse him – and it worked smashingly. If he didn't realize the jounin was conscious, then did that mean Iruka actually had some kind of feelings for him? If so, Kakashi felt his stomach churn. Images of what WASABI would do to him when they found out he was playing with the brunette's emotions came to mind and he had to resist the urge to cup himself protectively. Kakashi pulled his hand away from his head and looked at his gloved palm. Underneath the black material, he knew there to be too many scars to count – proof of all his years of loyalty to the village. In all those years, he never once thought of what he wanted – what he _deserved_ to have if he had lived a normal life – but shinobi didn't have the luxury of even a moment of selfishness. Kakashi sighed as he moved his legs to the edge of the bed and heaved himself off the bed, quickly finding himself headed for the floor as his legs gave out underneath his weight.

_Damn it…_the jounin cursed as he caught himself before he made a complete fool of himself by discovering it impossible to get up from the floor. Instead, he found himself clinging to the nightstand as he shuffled closer to the piece of furniture, his legs still wobbly from the small amount of weight he was putting on them. After a few moments of leaning over the nightstand, feeling his muscles screaming in pain – assuring himself that whatever the hell the doctors gave him should be illegal – Kakashi felt confident enough to try a second attempt. He pushed himself away from the piece of wood slowly, keeping a hand close to the nightstand's top just in case his legs decided to buckle again, but found his legs to be a bit sturdier this time. Cautiously, he took an awkward step towards the edge of the room – towards the window, his only possible means of escape.

Within several minutes, and not without a great deal of soft cursing, Kakashi touched the windowsill and, almost as soon as he felt the solid object, he leaned against it, much to the relief of his aching legs. Kakashi looked out the window and saw that it was no longer night, but morning. _Iruka must have left to go to the academy…_Kakashi theorized, amazed at the brunette's endurance. He hardly slept throughout the night, but he was still determined to go to deal with pre-pubescent hellions. Whatever Iruka took to be capable of such a feat, Kakashi knew he would need some of it to somehow make it to his own job. Those three demonic creatures would expect him to be late, as usual, but Kakashi doubted he would be regain enough strength to make it halfway across town even given the next few hours his team would semi-patiently wait for him before complaining about his chronic tardiness.

He took a deep breath before heaving himself up onto the windowsill and, ungracefully, slid through the open window. Finding that he could, surprisingly, control a bit of his chakra, Kakashi attached his feet to the wall and slowly crawled downwards. As soon as he reached the bottom floor of the hospital, he snuck off the pristine grounds and, once he was sure he was a safe distance away, looked back and flipped off the hospital. _Bastards…_he thought as he brought his hands together for a transportation jutsu. If the doctors hadn't discovered how all the upper-level shinobi were somehow getting away years ago, he could have done without all the painful walking and climbing, but the doctors had such a thick shield of jutsu around the hospital, no one could transport themselves out or use jutsu of any kind unless they wanted every medical personnel coming after them in a matter of minutes.

Kakashi closed his eyes as he reflexively transported himself back home. As soon as he opened his eyes to survey his apartment, he instantly regretted it. Not only did it look like some kind of battle had been waged in his kitchen and across his couch, but the transportation jutsu left him with a throbbing migraine. He quickly reminded himself never to try that again when he had been pumped with so many drugs only hours before and he was still feeling its effects. Kakashi wobbled over to his blood-stained couch (a part of him quite satisfied with the damage that no amount of cleaning could fix) and crawled up into a ball on the cleanest section of it. He took a deep breath and silently called for Pakkun. The pug quickly appeared, being familiar enough with his master to no longer need a summoning jutsu to be called upon. Kakashi got a questioning look from the small dog, but Pakkun knew better than to ask why he was bandaged, chakra-depleted, missing his hitai-ate, suffering a migraine _and_ his apartment was streaked in blood.

"How did your date with Iruka-sensei go?" Pakkun asked jokingly, getting a rude gesture from the jounin. Kakashi took another deep breath, picking up an unfamiliar scent and assumed it to be the chuunin who had been lying in this exact spot last night. "Where did you leave your hitai-ate?" the pug questioned, but got no response from his master other than wide eyes. Apparently Kakashi forgot that little detail about his uniform. Judging from the professional look to the white bandages around the silver-haired idiot's head, Pakkun assumed he had been at the hospital – which also explained the smell of doctors and medicine on him.

"He took me to the hospital…" Kakashi finally mumbled as he rubbed his temples. "They sedated me…" He looked at the dog and saw the entertainment clearly shining in the animal's eyes. Pakkun was enjoying the fact he was in pain! Kakashi sighed and wondered if it was a good idea to mention what he had been planning on asking his dog about. Kakashi thought that the dog might be able to help him decide what to do now, but he was starting to doubt if Pakkun would actually be helpful or just make things worse. He knew Pakkun well enough to realize the pug would figure out what happened one way or another and Kakashi sighed, knowing he would get less mocking if he told the dog himself. "He kissed me…"

If Pakkun had eyebrows, they would have shot up to his equally non-existent hairline. He never heard anything that would hint the chuunin even remotely _liked_ Kakashi. Then again, he knew very little about the (usually) quiet teacher except he had quite a big soft spot for Naruto. Maybe Iruka just wanted to mess with Kakashi…that would fit more with the prankster Pakkun knew Iruka to have once been. He kept this little detail about the brunette's childhood from his master, though, just in case Iruka had a trick or two planned for Kakashi. The jounin needed to learn to loosen up a bit. Pakkun remembered how pissed Kakashi had been when his three students had bested him when they first met him. He kept trying to say he knew the eraser was there, but the pug knew better. Kakashi had been caught completely by surprise and the fact he hadn't been able to see it coming was what got him so upset. Kakashi never wanted to admit that he was human, that he had his failings, that he made mistakes, and that he actually had emotions, whether or not he decided to show them.

"I thought that was part of your plan to beat Gai…" Pakkun pointed out, wondering why such a little thing was getting the jounin worked up. Kakashi didn't show it on his face, but the dog could smell that that kiss had affected his master for some reason. "I personally didn't think that you'd be able to seduce someone as wholesome as Iruka…what did you do?" Pakkun asked, inwardly praying that his master didn't have to resort to getting the young teacher drunk.

"I didn't do anything…he thought I was sleeping," Kakashi replied quietly. "At least, I think he did…" He looked at Pakkun and saw the curiosity in the dog's dark eyes. "He spent the whole night at the hospital with me…when he left this morning to go to the academy, he…kissed me…"

Pakkun had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing when he saw a pink tinge creep out from underneath the man's black mask. So, Kakashi thought of himself as emotionless, did he? Pakkun knew that, as soon as Kakashi dismissed him, he would have to go tell the rest of the nin dogs about this development in their master's life. To confuse Kakashi was a feat in itself, but to get the man to blush was almost impossible. "Are you going to see him again?" Pakkun asked, wondering if that brief display of emotion was enough to scare Kakashi away from his original plans. Hardly anyone knew the jounin could be easily spooked, but Kakashi was quite jittery when it came to things he couldn't explain through reason, only emotion.

"I-I don't know…" Kakashi admitted, seeing approval in the dog's eyes. "I don't want to…hurt him…" If Pakkun had been sitting on something, he definitely would have fallen off at hearing such compassionate words out of the jounin. Instead, he settled to drop his jaw and let it hang there as he repeated his master's words several times over. "Stop that…" Kakashi mumbled when he saw the dog's expression and heard the pug's mantra of 'hurt him,' thinking the dog was mocking him for his confession.

_Oh, this is good…_Pakkun thought to himself as he finally regained the ability to move and snapped his mouth closed. For a moment, Kakashi glared at him, but the jounin quickly nodded off now that he knew the dog wouldn't keep poking him awake until the pug's curiosity was satisfied. Once he was sure the silver-haired man was out, Pakkun let out an evil snicker and decided it was finally about time to get back at Kakashi for years of aggravation.

He quickly flitted off and retrieved the man's hitai-ate. Once he returned with the piece of metal, which had been sitting in plain sight on the nightstand next to the hospital bed, Pakkun set it down near the jounin and then sniffed Kakashi's pockets until he found the leathery object he was searching for. Gently pulling the thick wallet out of the man's jacket, Pakkun quickly counted out several bills (while thanking his master for giving him an education equal to that of most shinobi) and, once he decided it would be enough for what he was planning, he put the wallet back.

Biting down on the crisp bills he had pilfered off the man, Pakkun went in search of a particular trio who could help him. Storekeepers generally didn't allow dogs into their shops, let alone allow the dogs to buy something. For the most part, people's eyes bugged out when they heard him speak, and the fewer people who remembered a talking dog buying such odd things, the better. Anyways, his mission would be much easier with a few sets of opposable thumbs…

--

"Oi, teme!!" Sasuke simply smirked at the blonde's outburst. Naruto wiggled again, which only helped in loosening the Uchiha's grip on the back of his shirt. For a moment, Sasuke wondered if Naruto realized the river wasn't all that deep. He could hear Sakura cheering him on between loud curses out of the orange-clad idiot.

"Admit it, baka," Sasuke replied calmly as he leaned over the edge of the bridge, watching as Naruto's feet touched the water's surface. He let Naruto's jacket slip a little more from his grasp and watched as the blonde floundered, cursing up a storm and kicking up water in a vain attempt to free himself. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, seriously questioning the idiot's intelligence. Not only was the water only, at most, three feet deep, but if he let go, the blonde would go plunging _into_ the water he was trying so hard to stay out of. The fact that Naruto knew how to walk on water was only one of the many things that got the Uchiha to chuckle as he lowered Naruto even further.

"Stop that, you spoiled brat!" Sasuke swiveled around when he heard someone directing their comment at him and, in the middle of his turn, forgot about the blonde he was dangling over the water. With a loud splash and an even more deafening scream, he quickly remembered that small detail, but that didn't stop him from chuckling as he heard Naruto splashing around, claiming he was drowning. Instead of going to his teammate's 'rescue' (AKA watching the entertainment until Naruto realized he could stand up in the shallow water), Sasuke looked for the source of the voice and saw their teacher's pug glaring at him. Pakkun never really liked him…but Sakura, on the other hand, was the bane of the dog's existence.

"Pakkun!" Sakura squealed as she scooped the small dog up in her arms and squeezed him for all she was worth. The dog gave Sasuke such a look that the raven-haired teen actually _laughed_ at his pitiful expression. After a few moments of twirling the little dog around in her arms, Sakura finally loosened her grip enough for Pakkun to escape. He immediately shot towards Sasuke – theorizing that if the girl got closer to the teen, the blood-sucking creature would go after Sasuke first.

"Oi! That water's damn cold!!" Naruto screeched as he clambered up the bank and back onto the bridge. "Now I'm all wet…how am I supposed to train so I can one day become Hokage!?" The blonde puffed out his chest and everyone, even the small dog, found themselves letting out a sigh of defeat. The boy was far beyond help…he needed divine intervention. As though he finally realized the newcomer, Naruto waved sheepishly, spraying water all over his teammates and the dog. "Morning, Pakkun."

"Yo…" Pakkun greeted, waving a paw at his favorite of Kakashi's students. Naruto was the only one who didn't mock him or squeeze the life out of him; therefore he was the only one worth talking to for a length of time. He trotted over to the other side of the bridge where he had spit out Kakashi's money just in time before being attacked by the pink-haired demon. Picking the wad of cash up in his mouth, he walked to Naruto and deposited the small fortune at the boy's feet. Naruto's eyes widened as he squatted down so he was at eye-level with the dog and took the money in his hands. He didn't even have to count out the bills to know that this was quite a sum – the weight alone told him that Jiraiya couldn't possibly spend all of this in a _week_ in a brothel! Those three years taught him almost as much about expenses as being a shinobi…

"What's this for?" Naruto asked, wondering there had been some kind of mistake in payment for their last mission. If so, he wasn't going to correct anyone… The dog sighed, knowing exactly what was going through the teen's mind. "Ramen…?"

"Maybe later, kid," Pakkun replied, glancing back at the other two, who had somehow silently gravitated towards the fortune in their teammate's hands. "Kakashi's indisposed at the moment, so I'll be taking care of you three today…"

"YOSH!! RAMEN!!" Naruto squealed, remembering the last time Pakkun took all three of them on. Within a half-hour, the dog had given up and treated them all to ramen before dismissing them for the rest of the day. Pakkun coughed to get the teen's attention, which had the added benefit of stopping Naruto's mindless rambling about how ramen was the eighth through twelfth wonders of the world.

"This money is for a very special mission that I'm giving to the three of you…and if you spend it on anything else, remember that you'll have to deal with Kakashi," Pakkun stated calmly, whirling around to give Sasuke a toothy grin. The boy shivered at the thought of what the jounin would do if he found out they (or, more precisely, Naruto, but he and Sakura would be punished simply for not stopping the idiot) spent all that money on ramen. "It's all his…so I'm expecting you take very good care of it…" Sasuke's eyes went wide at that statement and another tremor went through his body. It must have taken at least a dozen upper-ranked missions to make that kind of money. Kakashi would definitely kill if they didn't do exactly what the pug said…

"What's wrong with Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, looking down at the dog. Pakkun sat back on his haunches, glad that someone had finally shown some common sense and hadn't been thinking about the money they now held – but why did it have to be _her_?!

"…poison…" Pakkun finally replied, knowing the jounin would kill _him_ if he told the three about Kakashi's late-night trip to the hospital and his current weakened state because of some medication. As soon as he answered the girl, the three fell completely silent and the money suddenly became the farthest thing from their mind. They looked at Pakkun for an elaboration, which the dog finally gave when he saw Sakura's lower lip start trembling. How Kakashi instilled such loyalty, Pakkun would never be able to guess… "Don't worry…he'll be fine by tomorrow…"

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked quietly, his eyes as watery as his female teammate's. Pakkun nodded his furry head, hoping the three wouldn't think that the best thing for their sensei was the three of them visiting him. _Do they know where he even lives?_ Pakkun wondered, suddenly feeling afraid for telling the three such a lie. "M-maybe we should forget the mission and go visit Kakashi-sensei…"

_Shimatta…_Pakkun cursed as he glared at the blonde. "No, that's not necessary. Kakashi wouldn't want you three seeing him right now…you'd probably make him even worse with all your petty rivalries…" he rushed to say, knowing better than to mention Kakashi's migraine – Sakura would probably be able to deduce what exact 'poison' was affecting their sensei…perceptive, clever medical nin that she was. "What would _really_ make Kakashi happy would be for you three to do the mission he has assigned you…"

"What are we doing? Buying the complete set of gold-plated Icha Icha novels or paying off Baa-chan's debts?" Naruto asked as he studied the money in his hands again. He couldn't think of anything their teacher could want that could possibly cost this much…anything _legal_, that is. Pakkun snorted simply because he knew this money was part of Kakashi's savings for his beloved trip to Icha Icha Paradise when the theme park finally opened in several years. The man's plans for the journey had been annoying the pug for _so very long_…and revenge was so sweet…

"Iie…a portion of the money is for you three for your help. The rest is for a very specific purpose…" Pakkun lowered his voice, making the three get closer so they could hear him as he told them about their mission. "Now, which one of you knows about wooing?"

"Wooing?" Naruto repeated, getting ready to let out a whoop to show off his knowledge of cheering, but froze when he realized there were three sets of eyes glaring at him, just daring him to even try to show his stupidity.

"Who exactly are we wooing?" Sakura asked curiously, moving even closer to Pakkun as he mouthed a name and the girl went beet red as she realized the implications of what they were about to agree to. "Kakashi-sensei's gonna kill us…"

"He'll thank you…" Pakkun replied optimistically, while hoping that if Kakashi was going to kill someone, the girl go first. "Now, to divvy up jobs…you…" He looked directly as Sasuke as he spoke, "are in charge of flowers…got it?"

"…flowers?" Sasuke snorted, wondering why he was the one who got the girly part of their mission. "Why me? Dobe would be better at picking out flowers…"

"Eh, why me? You're the feminine, one, teme," Naruto retorted, smirking when Sasuke gave him a glare and a slight pout as he tried to think of a way to deny it. While the two had their customary staring contest, Pakkun looked up to the heavens and prayed the two teens would finally figure out what their rivalry really was and just admit their mutual attraction. He looked back down and his eyes focused on Sasuke.

"I picked you because no one would ask if you were buying flowers…I can't believe they'd think it normal for Naruto to be buying so many flowers at once…" His gaze then shifted to Naruto. "Now, you…you'll be our reconnaissance and decoy," Pakkun commented, getting looks from both boys. Sasuke's offended look obviously was to mean 'why don't I get a job like that,' while Naruto seemed overjoyed with his assignment to work on his stealth.

"And me, Pakkun?" Sakura asked as she pointed at herself, cocking her head to the side when she heard an evil chuckle come out of the adorable little dog. "I could help Sasuke with the flowers…"

"Oh, no…I know about your uncanny ability to copy Kakashi's handwriting…you'll be coming with me…" Sasuke and Naruto gave wide-eyed stares at the kunoichi; apparently they didn't know about that aspect of their teammate. Pakkun sighed, rolling his eyes. "How else do you think Kakashi got his reports in? That idiot usually loses his report halfway to the missions office, so once he found out Sakura had a copy of his chop and was forging his handwriting on some documents he forgot to hand in, he started having her make copies of his reports for him…"

"Sugoi…" Naruto breathed, amazed that their sensei could be so scatterbrained that he actually had to enlist the help of one of his students to keep himself out of trouble with Iruka…then there was the question of how Sakura actually been able to accomplish such an illegal feat in the first place. He didn't even know their teacher had a chop – let alone used it on mission reports and other important documents.

(A/N: a chop is the Japanese equivalent to our 'John Hancock'…it's a stamp of a person's name in kanji – they're very unique and almost impossible to copy)

"Kakashi-sensei told me he wouldn't tell anyone about that," Sakura hissed, glaring at the dog, unable to believe she once thought the little demon was cute. "Tsunade-sama taught me how so we could…well…ahem…never mind…"

"…you've been forging documents for the Hokage?!" If it hadn't been Sasuke saying it, one could call his comment a gasp or an exclamation, but for the raven-haired teen, it was a slightly surprised statement. He looked from Sakura back down to Pakkun and wondered why it was he was assigned the most boring part of the mission.

"You didn't think all my lessons were for medicine, did you?" Sakura retorted, giving Sasuke a cheery smile that set off warning bells in the teen's head and he started wondering if she was only writing for the Hokage and Kakashi. He couldn't remember any odd purchases coming up in his bills lately, but that didn't mean the girl hadn't done something…she could have just as easily changed his bank statements. _Shimatta…when the hell did she get so conniving?_

"So, does everyone know what they're doing?" Pakkun asked, giving Sasuke a glare that warned the teen that he better do exactly what he was assigned. The dog didn't even have to turn to look at the blonde to know Naruto was raising his hand slowly. "You will be following Iruka and getting information for us."

"What kind of information?" Naruto squinted his eyes, wondering why he was following his favorite teacher around. "And why Iruka-sensei? What does he have to do with Kakashi-sensei?" Everyone in the group simply looked at him, praying the teen wasn't _that_ dense.

"Just find out what time he's in classes, when he's at the missions office, when he's home…his favorite flower, color, things like that," Pakkun replied slowly, hoping the teen would figure out exactly what their mission was about soon.

"That's easy…he's at the academy from seven to four, then he goes right to the missions office – except for Thursdays, that's his day off. He gets out of work at eight, then he goes home, eats dinner, he's in bed around ten, and he's up by five the next morning. He eats breakfast, then goes to the training grounds for a bit, comes back for a shower, then goes to the academy. Iruka loves white lilies, all kinds of irises and tulips, and cherry blossoms, his favorite color is purple, and he hates when people get him stuffed dolphins…" Naruto rattled off more small facts about the chuunin while the three looked at him in amazement. For someone as slow as Naruto, he paid quite a bit of attention to detail when it came to the brunette. When he finally realized everyone was staring at him, he stopped talking and raised an eyebrow. "What? Iruka _is_ my guardian…I _should_ know that kind of stuff about him…"

"…he's your guardian?" Everyone repeated simultaneously, their mouths dropping open as Naruto nodded his head as though such a fact was common knowledge. Finally Sakura found her voice and pointed out, "but Iruka-sensei was your teacher in the academy…"

"So?" Naruto said curiously, cocking his head to the side. "It wasn't like there was any nepotism…Iruka treated me just like everyone else when we were at school." Sasuke, for a moment, stared at the blonde, amazed that Naruto even knew what 'nepotism' was. Sakura's thoughts bordered on the same general thought and Pakkun twitched slightly, wondering if this would make his self-appointed mission more difficult. "Anything else you guys want to know about Iruka?"

"Does he follow that schedule everyday?" Pakkun finally asked, his mind already thinking up of a few changes in his plan that could speed things up. Knowing those few facts about Iruka made everything so much easier.

"Un…he does the same things every day…well, except for tonight. It's my birthday, so he's taking off work at the missions office and we're planning on going out to dinner to celebrate…" Naruto replied softly, wondering what exactly he was getting the sweet brunette into by telling everyone his schedule. _Kakashi-sensei…Iruka…hold it…Iruka said something about a _**date**_ last night._ A few of Naruto's nerve endings fried at that realization as he slowly began understanding the dog's reasoning behind all this. "I AM NOT HELPING KAKASHI GET INTO IRUKA'S PANTS!!"

Those words rung throughout the village and a certain chuunin on the other side of Konoha found himself shaking his head, for a moment swearing he heard Naruto's voice. Sneezing again, the teacher wondered if he was developing some kind of allergy or if his sudden sneezing fit and the fact he was starting to hear things was because he had pulled his first all-nighter.

Likewise, a jounin sneezed into his pillow, having found the energy to meander to his own room and crash in the gloriously soft bed. He raised an eyebrow, having woken himself up with that sneeze and looked around the room warily, expecting to see his three demonic students hovering around his bed. He buried his head back into the pillow, wondering what kind of dream would end in Naruto screaming something about getting him laid. _What a nightmare…_

--

Authoress: kuku…I thought that chapter was cute…/snickers again/…poor Iruka won't know what hit him…for that matter, neither will Kakashi…/smiles innocently/…we all know Pakkun can be just as cunning as everybody else when it comes to messing with Kakashi…so, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and please review!! Until next time, ja ne!!


	6. Chapter Five

Authoress: I'm on a roll!! This is my second chapter to The Most Youthful Challenge today…I just _had_ to write more about Iruka and Kakashi…but I didn't want the last chapter to be insanely long, so I broke it up into two parts…so, now, onto the next chapter!!

Disclaimer:…this is cruel to make authors do at the beginning of a chapter…/sniffles/…it makes us realize we own nothing…not even Naruto…well, except for my nifty Naruto and Sasuke patches…those I actually had to 'borrow' money for…but they're mine!! Kukuku!!

**Chapter Five**

Sasuke glared at the flower with obvious distain, wondering; if he stared long enough, would the flower wilt? He decided to test out this theory out of sheer boredom. As soon as he had entered the flower shop, Naruto had decided to go crazy picking out the perfect bouquet, which left him with nothing to do other than to try killing the cheery-looking blossom with his mind. Naruto had gotten out of his original assignment once he spouted all those little facts about Iruka, which left Pakkun with only a few choices of what to do with the blonde – he couldn't let Naruto go, since he was determined to somehow spoil their plans (he kept saying something about Kakashi only wanting Iruka for his cute ass, but at around that point, Sasuke fazed out and took up twitching slightly at the images that produced). Pakkun refused to babysit the blonde, which left Sasuke as the only other option.

"Saaaaaasukeeeeee! What do you think about this one?" Naruto called from the other side of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, loud enough for the dead to hear his high, nasally voice. Sasuke twitched as his concentration was broken and he shot a death glare in the blonde's direction. Naruto happily waved a pale flower at him, somehow not noticing Ino trying to grab the flower out of his hands before he destroyed it. Sasuke merely shook his head and went back to browsing the lines of colorful blooms. A small part of him was happy the blonde had come with him, simply because he didn't know the names of any of these flowers. From how Naruto had started rattling off various names, where they grew, and other unimportant information, Sasuke guessed botany was one of the blonde's few passions.

Sasuke froze, catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw the hyperactive blonde actually stopping a moment to look at a particularly large flower. Sasuke couldn't help but watch the blonde as he smiled at the sight of the flower. "Oi, Naruto, don't touch the sunflowers!!" Ino screeched, making the blonde turn away from the flower that was roughly the size of his head. Sasuke quickly pulled his gaze away from Naruto before the idiot noticed him staring and, once the moron had gone off to look at other flowers, Sasuke took a few quick steps towards the flower that had caught Naruto's interest.

The flower was, oddly, pretty, despite its massive black center and the sheer size of it. Its petals matched the shade of Naruto's hair perfectly and there was something about it that reminded the Uchiha of his noisy teammate. _Sunflower, huh?_ He wondered, deciding it was rightly named – the flowers were _sunny_, much like the blonde who apparently took pleasure in seeing them. He studied the bloom for a few more moments, considering buying one. When he finally realized his hand had already started reaching out to pick out the largest in the tall bucket, Sasuke almost slapped his own hand back, questioning his reasons for wanting to buy one. _Because Naruto liked it…_he finally admitted to himself as he took a few quick glimpses at the teen as Naruto bounced around while Ino tried to pull the vast array of flowers out of his hands and wrap them up before the bouncy teen could further destroy them.

Sasuke smirked, knowing now was the perfect moment to trick his teammate into helping with their mission. He slid up behind Naruto and leaned over his shoulder. "Oi, what are those, dobe?" he asked softly so Ino couldn't hear him, finally satisfying his own curiosity. Naruto had been all too happy to go to the flower shop, despite his firm refusal to help them, which piqued Sasuke's interest. "I thought you said Iruka liked…what was it?"

"Iruka likes lilies, baka…" Naruto replied quickly, then quickly handed Ino a few bills to pay for the flowers. "Anyways, these aren't for him…they're for someone else…" Naruto turned around, forgetting that Sasuke was right behind him, and found himself hitting into the taller teen. "Itai…" the blonde mumbled as he rubbed his head where it had hit against Sasuke's chin. Once he sufficiently massaged his aching temple, Naruto looked up at Sasuke and smiled sheepishly.

"Who are they for?" Sasuke asked, glancing down at the paper cone in the blonde's arms. He couldn't see exactly what flowers Naruto had finally picked out, but he knew he wouldn't recognize any of them anyways. Sasuke looked back up into the blonde's eyes and raised an eyebrow when he saw the blonde's cheeks turn a bright red right before Naruto tore his gaze away and mumbled something about having to go home. With that, the blonde plowed into Sasuke's shoulder, knocking the Uchiha onto his rear, in his attempts to shoot out of the shop. Sasuke watched the teen's retreating form, wondering what he had said to get Naruto to bolt like that, for a few moments before pulling himself off the floor and walking over to Ino.

He handed her the money Pakkun had said was for the flowers and sighed. _How did I get sucked into this? _He asked himself as Ino gave him a curious look. "Did you want to buy some flowers too, Sasuke-kun?" All of sudden, the girl's eyes went starry-eyed – probably imagining the flowers would be for her – and Sasuke had to hold back a snort. Like hell he would waste money on flowers…especially on someone like her.

"Lilies…white ones…" he replied softly, getting a soft squeak from the girl. He couldn't tell if it was because she was happy or if she had finally realized how much money he had given her. Looking back at Ino, he realized it must have been the earlier from the pink tinge to her cheeks as she stared at him with a gaping mouth, her eyes filled with hearts. _Girls are creepy…_he decided as he watched her shoot off, mumbling something about ferns and a variety of words he had never heard of before, but assumed them to be the names of other flowers.

In the blur of an eye, Sasuke found himself looking down at a massive bouquet of flowers. He didn't know which ones were lilies, but assumed they had to be in there among the numerous different colors and species. Ino started to quickly point out the different flowers when she saw Sasuke's hesitant survey of the bouquet. "There're the white lilies. They're called centerfold lilies. There're also some Landini lilies – those are the dark purple ones. Those white flowers with the purple tips are Lisianthus and I also put some sprigs of ferns, gooseneck loofstrife, and irises in there for fillers and color. What do you think?" she asked hopefully, watching Sasuke for some kind of reaction.

"It's…nice…"Sasuke admitted, having to grasp for a word to describe the large white pile of flowers that seemed too delicate to be something someone like Ino could make. He gingerly touched one of the flowers, starting to understand why people liked getting flowers. Although they didn't last a long period of time, they _did_ smell and look wonderful. Ino squealed at his compliment before whisking the flowers off to wrap them up. While he listened to Ino's soft humming – and Sasuke, for a moment, swore he recognized it as the wedding march – the raven-haired teen glanced around the store one more time.

"Anything else, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked sweetly as she brought the flowers back over to him. Sasuke was about to shake his head, but froze when he thought of something. Quickly digging in his pockets for his own wallet, he cursed when he remembered he had left it home this morning since he had no intention of treating Naruto – again – to lunch. Somehow the blonde could smell the money on him… He cursed softly, wondering how it was the only time he needed any money was when he didn't have any on him. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Um…no…that's it…" Sasuke mumbled, looking down at his feet, deciding his previous idea was stupid anyways. Why did he, even for a moment, think that getting that idiot a flower would be a good idea? He gently picked up the large arrangement and was about to make a quick exit but stopped in mid-turn when he saw something bright yellow dangling in front of his eyes.

"This one's on me…" Ino said cheerily as she handed a large sunflower over to the teen, sensing exactly what he was going to ask for before and why. _But what's with the lilies? Naruto hates them…but he buys a huge bouquet of them every year for Iruka-sensei's birthday…_she thought to herself, glancing down at the money Sasuke had given her and smirked knowingly. Only someone who had a jounin-size paycheck could throw this much money away on flowers…and there was only one jounin she could think of who would enlist the two teens to help him with some kind of plan to woo Iruka…

_Who would have thought Kakashi-sensei to be a romantic…_she wondered, blushing when she saw Sasuke, having realized what she had handed him, actually _smiled_. She felt her own face warm up as she watched the Uchiha cradle the sunflower on top of the expensive flowers as though the sun-colored blossom was priceless. _Or Sasuke-kun for that matter…_she added mentally, trying to remember the last time she had seen Sasuke smile like that and was surprised to realize she had only seen him look like that when they were all children…before his family was wiped out and he was forced to grow up too quickly. _Hmm…Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei…Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun…love is in the air._ With a smile and a wave, she watched Sasuke walk out of the shop with a lightness in his step that she had never seen in the angst-loving teen before.

--

Sasuke searched for Naruto's chakra as soon as he got out of the flower shop and was surprised to find the blonde had gone in the opposite direction of his house. He gave the flowers in his arms a quick glance and wondered if he had made the right choice in taking that one flower from Ino. As he started following the blonde's chakra, he ignored the curious looks he got from almost everyone – looks that were caused because he, the emotionally-lacking Uchiha Sasuke was walking around with a brightly-colored sunflower, something that was the complete opposite of his dark, cold personality, sitting on top of the wrapped bundle of blossoms. From the questioning eyes, Sasuke could only imagine who everyone imagined the flowers were for.

It took only a few minutes for Sasuke to track down the blonde. Sasuke hesitated to get closer to Naruto, though, when he finally found him. He didn't want to disturb the teen when he saw Naruto leaning his head against the dark stone, the bouquet he had bought earlier resting at the base of the memorial. Sasuke quietly leaned against a tree, watching his teammate sit back, sniffling, but his blue eyes were still focused on the boulder. For a moment, Sasuke wondered if Naruto had family that had died on this day, years back. They would have had to die on a mission of some sorts to be honored by having their names engraved on the memorial, but Sasuke couldn't remember Naruto ever mourning someone. He nearly slipped off the tree he was leaning against when he realized he never knew Naruto _had_ family, period. The boy had been an orphan when they had first met in the academy – and apparently Iruka had been the one taking care of him for all those years – so where were his parents and other relatives? Sasuke smiled dejectedly, realizing he didn't know anything about Naruto's family. He always assumed, like everyone else, that Naruto didn't even know who his family was, so it was a topic people tried their best not to bring up when the blonde was around.

Pushing himself from the tree, Sasuke took a step towards the blonde. Somehow, Naruto sensed him as soon as he was no longer in the tree line and those watery blue eyes looked up at him. Naruto quickly focused his gaze back down as he started drying his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he asked softly as he pulled his wet sleeve away from his eyes. Sasuke slowly walked towards the teen, his eyes catching bright colors surrounding the memorial that he didn't notice before. Seeing all the flowers and small trinkets, Sasuke wondered for a moment if there was some kind of mass murder, only to realize what today's date was. _The Kyuubi attack…_he thought, shifting his gaze back to Naruto and remembered what the blonde had said earlier today. '_It's my birthday'…I never knew he was born during the Kyuubi attack…_

"You said you were going home, dobe," Sasuke replied as he squatted down at the blonde's side. He gently set Iruka's flowers down on the ground and looked at the yellow sunflower for a moment before picking it up. Glancing over at the boy, Sasuke turned on his heels and held the flower in front of him. "Happy birthday, Naruto." Almost as soon as the boy's name rolled off his tongue, Sasuke found himself thrown to the ground with a large weight on his chest. He didn't have to look down as he reflexively wrapped his arms around the boy's form to know Naruto had started crying again. He could feel Naruto's body start shaking as the smaller teen let out a sob. "Oi, if you don't like it, just say so," he said jokingly, tightening his arms around Naruto. It felt surprisingly _good_ to hold Naruto in his arms.

"No…it's…just…" Naruto sniffled as he slowly pulled himself away from Sasuke, a fierce blush covering his cheeks. _I just hugged him…_he thought in fear, wondering what kind of cruel torture Sasuke would think up of to get back at him for daring to do such a thing. When he saw the Uchiha wasn't glaring at him or in any way looking annoyed, Naruto raised an eyebrow, then remembered what Sasuke had said. _Happy birthday…no one except Iruka ever says that…_ "I didn't think you knew it was my birthday…"

"You told us before, dobe," Sasuke pointed out with a sigh as he sat back up and looked at the blonde sitting in front of him. Naruto gave him a wide-eyed expression and the Uchiha couldn't help but sigh again. How could someone be so forgetful and dense…yet so sweet at the same time? _Wait…sweet?...he's cute, not just sweet…what the…!?_ Sasuke wondered if it was possible to lose your mind in mere seconds, but lost that train of thought when he felt the blonde lean forwards and peck him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Sasuke…" Naruto replied as he sat back and waited for his teammate to realize he just kissed him. He counted the seconds, surprised that it took the usually detached shinobi a full thirty seconds longer than usual to react to one of his whims. Then again, Naruto had only kissed Sasuke once before and that was a complete accident. Naruto watched as Sasuke's pale skin turned to a bright red and he knew he had something to mock the Uchiha for – Sasuke was gorgeous when he was blushing.

"Y-you're welcome…?" Sasuke brought a hand up to his face where Naruto had kissed him and thinking about how Naruto's lips felt against his cheek got Sasuke's face to turn an all new shade of scarlet and the teen was sure his skin was burning.

"A sunflower, huh?" Naruto asked as he picked up the large flower and studied it. He loved sunflowers, but how would Sasuke know such a thing. Naruto smiled, remembering how he had been looking at the bunch of them at the flower shop before. Was Sasuke watching him – thinking about his birthday – even then? "It's the best birthday present…" He hugged the flower to his chest, amazed that someone like _Sasuke_ would get him flowers for his birthday.

Sasuke watched as Naruto smiled happily. It wasn't one of the blonde's usual, fake grins, but a real smile that got the raven-haired teen's heart to speed up. It was at that moment, seeing Naruto's brilliantly blue eyes shimmer with tears of joy and his face break out in such a smile that the sun paled in comparison, Sasuke realized what had possessed him to get that flower in the first place. He wanted to see the blond dobe delighted – he wanted to be the one to bring him that happiness.

"So why are you here, dobe?" Sasuke asked softly, gesturing to the flower-covered memorial. He saw the blonde's face fall and his tears of joy quickly turn into those of loss. Sasuke knew those tears too well and had to stop Naruto from hiding that sorrow before it ate away at him. He gently caught Naruto's cheek before the blonde could turn his head away and wiped away the wet trails that were beginning to travel down the boy's face.

"…my parents…" Naruto replied quietly as he brushed his fingers against the engraved stone. "My mother died giving birth to me…my father was killed by the Kyuubi…" Sasuke took a deep breath, wondering what that must have been like – even considering how he lost his whole family, Sasuke couldn't imagine how he could have lived without even knowing either of his parents…no matter how few years he did have with them. He watched Naruto's fingers as they stopped at one name in particular and he almost let out an eep when he recognized the name as one of the many Iruka drilled into their heads during history lessons.

"The _Yondaime_…" Sasuke whispered reverently, his eyes trained on the deeply etched name of the man who had died to protect their village…and used his own newborn son to seal the Kyuubi in. Recalling the few pictures he had seen of the man, Sasuke could see the astonishing resemblance between him and the blonde in front of him. How was it no one ever saw that similarity before? He pulled his eyes away from the polished stone and immediately saw Naruto's dejected expression. "When you become Hokage, make sure you tell everyone who your father was…"

"I just wished I knew what he was like…" Naruto said as he dropped his fingers from the stone. "I would have rather he lived than been some kind of hero…" He sighed as he touched the flowers he had brought his father. He didn't know what kind of flower the mysterious man liked, so he brought one of every kind Ino had in the shop. Naruto didn't know if he should explain that to Sasuke – should he trust the boy who tormented him for so many years? He looked at Sasuke's dark eyes and smiled. Sasuke wasn't just another person who mocked him; he was a close friend, a comrade, and someone who Naruto always dreamed of having to talk to – to ask what it was like to have a family…

"You have Iruka-sensei…you're lucky," Sasuke replied, closing his eyes as he remembered seeing all those bodies – hearing Itachi's voice mocking him…daring him to become strong enough to defeat him. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he had gotten over that a long time ago. It was people like Naruto who saved him from that hell – who dragged him back to humanity and showed him that there were more reasons than just revenge to live for.

"I know…I just wish he would find someone…"

"Like Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke said curiously, gesturing at the wrapped bouquet. "Pakkun wants us to meet up in a little bit to decide on how to get the flowers to Iruka-sensei…and then there's whatever he and Sakura have been up to…we're going to have to sneak past Iruka or trick him at some point and you know you're the best at henge no jutsu…" Naruto knew his mouth dropped open – that just was, by far, the longest statement to ever come out of Sasuke's mouth. Not only that, but Sasuke had outright complimented him.

"…does he actually like him?" Naruto asked softly, looking at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. Both teens knew that Naruto's question had a second meaning that had nothing to do with either teacher. Sasuke waited a moment before answering, asking himself if this was what he wanted and, the instant he looked into Naruto's eyes, he knew there wasn't anything he could want more.

"I'm sure he does." Naruto swore that he saw Sasuke wink with that statement, but completely forgot about the Uchiha's odd reaction when Sasuke leaned forwards and caught his lips in a chaste kiss. Naruto almost squeaked in surprise – the last time he had kissed Sasuke like this, he had been the one falling into the unsuspecting, brooding boy. This time, he could feel how soft Sasuke's lips were on his own and how the teen's hand, which was still on his face, gently cupped his cheek and pulled him closer. Then, as suddenly as he started the kiss, Sasuke pulled back. His face quickly turned a shade that was meant more for a tomato than a pale teen's cheeks as he looked into Naruto's azure orbs. "We should probably be going to find Pakkun and Sakura."

"Yea…" Naruto jumped up and grabbed Sasuke by the forearm to help pull the other teen up to his feet. Naruto took another look at the memorial and Sasuke knew to give the blonde his privacy, so he quickly picked up the flowers for Iruka and started to walk back towards the village. Within a few minutes, Naruto caught up with him and gently punched him in the shoulder once he fell in step with the taller teen. "Oi, talk about waiting for me. I had to run to catch up!" Sasuke glanced over at his teammate and saw Naruto wiping away a few remaining tears from his cheeks.

"It's not my fault you're slow, dobe," Sasuke retorted, but his tone didn't hold its customary iciness. Instead, it was lighter – more joking – than either teen had ever heard before. Naruto chuckled before hitting the Uchiha again, then sliding his fingers down his arm and into Sasuke's warm hand. The Uchiha glanced down at their entwined fingers for a moment. A part of him wanted to pull away as quickly as possible, but Sasuke ignored that very small portion of himself as he squeezed the blonde's smaller hand and kept his grip tight so that Naruto, if that same thought crossed the dobe's mind, wouldn't pull away from the innocent embrace.

As they walked back into the village, both teens could feel eyes watching them – or, more specifically – their hands. They both could feel that most of the gazes were in disapproval, but neither boy ever loosened his grip on the other. Naruto took a few glimpses at Sasuke and smiled when he saw the Uchiha was giving his trademark glare to whoever dared to whisper behind their hands about them – or, in most cases, _who_ Sasuke was holding hands with. Naruto tightened his grasp on Sasuke when he saw the teen's protectiveness and, when Sasuke felt the blonde's gentle squeeze, he tore his murderous intent away from a particularly gossipy old woman and saw the most beautiful smile on his dobe's face. _Mine…_Sasuke thought to himself, deciding that from now on, he was the only one allowed to mock Naruto. No one would ever hurt him…not if Sasuke still had a breath in his body.

--

Iruka glared at Konohamaru as the boy snickered behind his hand, trying to think of what the Sandaime's grandson could have done while he had his back turned for the few brief seconds to write an equation on the board. He gave the pre-genin a silencing stare, only to realize that the rest of the class had followed the boy's lead and started giggling quietly. Iruka glanced around the room, noticing how his students looked away from him when his eyes landed on them. _What is going on?_ He wondered as he set the chalk back down and noticed out of the corner of his eye how every pair of eyes went to his desk as soon as they thought he was no longer looking at them.

Iruka shifted his gaze to his desk and nearly dropped his jaw when he saw the enormous bouquet resting on top of a pile of homework on the center of his desk. Hesitantly taking a step towards the flowers, Iruka wondered where they could have come from. He reached out and gingerly touched the edge of one of the pale lilies. No one except Naruto knew how much he loved the flowers, but Konohamaru would have been bouncing if his role model had somehow snuck in and left the bouquet on the desk while Iruka had his back turned. Iruka raised an eyebrow when he saw the other flowers in the bouquet. They were perfectly matched and arranged, which cried Naruto had no hand in picking out the flowers, but Iruka didn't know of anyone else who would give him such a beautiful bouquet.

"Extra credit for who can tell me who dropped these off…" Iruka stated as he looked at the purple lilies. Naruto knew that was his favorite color…but Naruto couldn't have been the one to bring him flowers, could he? A few of his students snickered at Iruka's offer – to have their teacher, in a roundabout way, admit he hadn't noticed someone sneak in was a far better reward than extra credit.

"It was Naruto-nii's teacher, Iruka-sensei," Konohamaru chirped, a chuckle still in his voice. "He left a note, too." Iruka watched as the pre-genin gestured to a white envelope he hadn't noticed on his desk before. Iruka was so amazed at the child's response that he wasn't able to pick up the envelope, just stare at it. _Kakashi…? He brought me flowers? Shouldn't he still be in the hospital?_ Iruka answered his final question easily, remembering how Kakashi had fought the hospital staff. The second the man woke up, he probably shot out of the hospital, even if he was still groggy from drugs. Stubbornness seemed to be a required trait in Konoha's jounin.

Iruka blushed when he remembered last night's events and, from the hush that went through the class, his students noticed the warmth in his cheeks. He swore, for a moment, that he even heard a few awes. Inwardly cursing, Iruka wished his face didn't feel so hot. The chuunin slowly moved to pick up the note and quickly decided against opening it while his gossiping students were around. "Everyone is dismissed for the day," he finally said softly as he looked back down at the flowers and felt his face turn an all new shade of pink.

"But it's not even noon yet, Iruka-sensei," Konohamaru pointed out and received a glare from his teacher. Seeing Iruka's aggravation, the boy quickly quieted down, then slipped out of his room with the rest of the students who had all been stunned into silence. Once the last of the students out closed the door behind himself, Iruka dared to look back down at the envelope in his hands. He slowly opened up the piece of paper and pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside the pocket.

Iruka looked around suspiciously, wondering what the jounin (or perhaps Naruto?) could be up to, and then glanced back at the paper as he unfolded it. Immediately, he recognized the Copy Cat Nin's sloppy handwriting scrawled across the paper.

_Yo!_

_ I didn't want to interrupt your class, but I wanted to give you these flowers. I'm sorry about last night – it wasn't much of a first date, ne? Maybe we could try again sometime?_

_ Kakashi_

_ P.S. I was awake when you left this morning…_

Iruka never thought the veins in his head could pop out any further when he read the postscript several times over. He felt his eye start to twitch violently as he recalled how he had said goodbye to the jounin – Kakashi was awake for that?! Iruka turned to look out the window and caught a glimpse of silver as it shot down beneath the windowsill. Still twitching slightly, Iruka snuck up to the side of the room and peered out of the open window.

"Next time, tell me you're here, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka had to use all of his control to make his voice sound calm. The jounin looked up from his crouched position next to the side of the wall and gave Iruka a sheepish grin with his one visible eye.

_Shimatta…shimatta…Sasuke said I'd be able to get away easily…_Naruto sweatdropped as he watched Iruka raise an eyebrow. Forcing himself to remain relaxed – Iruka didn't know that he wasn't Kakashi…yet – Naruto, imitating his teacher's flippant personality, waved at the chuunin. "Yo …" _Does Kakashi call him Iruka or Iruka-sensei!?_ Naruto had to shake the grip of fear off when he realized Iruka would figure out he wasn't the real Kakashi and the brunette would punish him. Naruto inwardly winced as he tried to think of what Iruka would do to him when he found out their team's deception. He almost audibly whimpered when he realized Iruka would be a kitten in comparison to Kakashi. The chuunin's bipolar personality didn't come anywhere near close to Kakashi's sadism. _How the hell did they suck me into their plan!?_ "Maa…about last night…" Naruto inwardly prayed that he remembered what Sakura had written. There was something about a date and that Kakashi was awake when Iruka left…but why would Iruka be leaving in the morning? _ …it can't be…_Naruto felt a few of his remaining brain cells fry at the image of the two shinobi doing things that should be parts of Jiraiya's books and not a night activity for the two men.

"I-It's okay…I shouldn't have…" Naruto watched in amazement as his beloved teacher went all shades of pink as he spoke. _What the hell _did_ they do?_ The blonde wondered, praying it wasn't what he thought it was – Kakashi would never be forgiven if he was sleeping with Iruka and didn't have the decency to ask Naruto for his permission. He had to bite back a snicker as Iruka looked around nervously – embarrassment clearly showing in his features. It wasn't easy to embarrass Iruka, especially with just a few words. Naruto memorized the image of the chuunin blushing, biting his lower lip, and trying his hardest not to make eye contact – this would probably be the last happy moment Naruto would have if Iruka ever found out what he had done.

Naruto's mind swam with all the images of Iruka – and Kakashi – torturing him in all kinds of painful ways and he bit his own lip in attempts to stop himself from whimpering. What could he say to save himself from such a fate? No one except Pakkun knew what happened last night between the two and the pug adamantly refused to tell the three teens about it. He had told Sakura what to write and the girl had been quite confused about the postscript, but Pakkun merely gave her a glare that warned the whole team that asking would only result in pain for them. Even Sasuke didn't say a word as the dog looked over the flowers he had bought and, finally, approved of the lovely bouquet, much to everyone's relief.

"Daijoubu, Iruka-sensei," Naruto replied hesitantly, but almost congratulated himself when he heard his voice was just as even as the jounin's usually was. From the blush he got from Iruka, he had guessed right in using the suffix most people were accustomed to using when speaking to the soft-spoken teacher. It was either that or Iruka and Kakashi had some kind of inside joke – and that thought gave Naruto all kinds of images he never wanted to have. _I'm never going to look at a ruler the same again…_he vowed, trying to shake the picture of a nude Iruka teaching Kakashi a _lesson_. _Damn you, Ero-sennin!!_

"Thank you for the flowers…" Iruka said, his voice softer than Naruto had ever heard before. The teacher stepped back from the windowsill, obviously inviting the teen back into the classroom. Naruto had to fight the urge to run – his mind screaming that Iruka knew what he was up to and just wanted him out of the public eye before killing him. Cautiously, Naruto stood up and was amazed that he towered over the brunette on the other side of the window. _Damn, Kakashi-sensei really is tall…_he thought to himself, a small part of his perverted mind wondering which teacher would be seme. Kakashi might be taller, but Iruka was physically stronger (a fact Naruto knew very few people were aware of, but he knew simply because he had been victim to Iruka's discipline – and had caught the man partially or fully unclothed in his many years of living with the brunette). Kakashi was stubborn and proud, but Iruka was kind and compassionate (when the mood hit him). Then again, Kakashi did have his moments where he actually cared about his students – and everyone knew of Iruka's temper. _Damn…maybe they take turns…?_ Naruto speculated, unsure which man would be dominant in such a relationship.

Naruto finally slipped back into the classroom, noting that all the students were gone, and his earlier fears came back in full force. _Kami-sama…he's going to kill me and hide the body…_he assured himself as he set his feet down onto the floor and followed the chuunin towards the middle of the room. He glanced around and wished his three followers had realized that he wasn't really Kakashi…they might have been able to save him from such a fate. _Maybe if I explain what we're doing…Iruka will make it quick and painless..._"Iruka-sensei…?"

The chuunin turned to look at the silver-haired shinobi and smiled. _Kakashi-sensei's acting a little jumpy…_he thought as he studied the taller man curiously. The jounin's visible eye was darting around the room and, for a moment, Iruka swore Kakashi was acting like he was uncomfortable being alone with him. Iruka couldn't help but chuckle at the man's discomfort – he _had_ taken advantage of Kakashi's supposed sleeping state this morning. It was no wonder Kakashi was a little off. He probably wasn't used to such attention. "Did I do something wrong last night, Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka asked softly, a part of him praying the jounin would reject such an idea.

_Shimatta…what the hell did they do last night?!_ Naruto's mind raced as he tried to think of something that would make sense to the chuunin. _If Iruka did something wrong, I'll never eat ramen again…_Naruto swore as he gave Iruka his best imitation of Kakashi's smile. "Iie, you just surprised me, Iruka-sensei…" The teen had to suck in a deep breath as soon as he finished speaking in order to keep himself from cursing. He hadn't meant to sound so seductive with that little statement – he didn't even know Kakashi could _have_ a seductive voice, period! Then again, the jounin's deep tone was usually at a much higher pitch as he screamed at his students or was joking about something. Naruto tried to think of the last time Kakashi spoke seriously and remembered that Kakashi actually _did_ have one of those voices where he had to beware of what he said or else things could be taken the wrong way.

Naruto found himself mentally using curse words he never thought he knew before as the chuunin blushed furiously. He had read enough of Jiraiya's novels to know that look in his guardian's gentle eyes. _He thinks I'm going to kiss him…like hell I will!!_ Naruto inwardly prayed to every religion he could think of as the chuunin looked around bashfully. _Then again…if Iruka figures out it's me…I'm dead…_ Naruto quickly thought of something to get him out of kissing the brunette. "M-maybe…if you're not busy tomorrow…" _Oh, shit, one of them is going to kill me for this…_ "…we could have dinner?"

Iruka turned all shades of scarlet at that question and had to bite back a squeal – Kakashi sounded so embarrassed. Then again, last night wasn't much of a date. If anything, Kakashi probably wanted to regain his pride after such an event. "Alright…just as long as you don't end up in the hospital again," he finally replied, wishing his face would return to its normal color.

_Hospital?! What did they do that sent Kakashi-sensei to the hospital!?_ Naruto asked himself, getting a whole host of ideas and prayed none of them were right. If his thoughts were correct, he knew he would have to go find that silver-haired pervert and check to see if Kakashi was able to sit on his own rear. If he couldn't, Naruto knew he found out who was uke. That would be such good blackmail material for a later time… "I'll try…" Naruto said softly, watching as Iruka smiled. He knew that when Iruka smiled, everyone was charmed by his seeming innocence (only to later find out the man was crazed), but this smile was different. Naruto found _himself_ blushing at the brunette's expression. He never put Iruka as someone who could look cute, but the man was standing in front of him, looking almost as adorable as a blushing Sasuke. "Is tomorrow after you get out of work okay?" Naruto asked, wondering how they were going to tell Kakashi about this unplanned date without telling the jounin what they had done.

"That sounds great."

Naruto, against his better judgment, actually watched as Iruka turned and looked at the flowers on his desk. The brunette leaned down and smelled one of the pale-colored blossoms and Naruto found himself cursing again. Iruka could be quite attractive when one didn't consider the fact he had to have been spawned from Satan himself. Naruto had to clasp his hands behind himself before he physically smacked such thoughts from his head. _Now, how to escape…?_ He asked himself, knowing that Sasuke and Pakkun were probably having aneurisms right now, wondering what was taking him so long. Thinking quickly, Naruto prayed Iruka would never figure out he wasn't really Kakashi, and took a few quick steps towards the chuunin.

Iruka was still leaning over the flowers, studying them with that sweet blush of his, so he didn't notice the other man's movements until he felt a gentle pressure on his cheek. By the time it registered in his mind what the jounin was doing, Kakashi disappeared through the window with a "see you tomorrow." He gingerly touched his cheek where _Kakashi_ had kissed him and – knowing no one would be able to see or hear him – squeaked loudly and blushed like some kind of schoolgirl.

--

"NEVER AGAIN!!" Naruto cried as he clung to Sasuke, licking the teen's outfit for some strange reason. No one had yet gotten him to tell what had happened when he dropped the flowers off to get him to come flying back, attaching himself to Sasuke's side, and crying that it was horrible.

"Oi, baka, what the hell did you do?" Sasuke asked calmly as he tried taking a few steps with the blonde growth around his middle. How could someone mess up dropping off flowers? Sasuke sighed, knowing that Naruto somehow ruined his one, simple mission.

"I KISSED IRUKA!! MY MOUTH, IT BUUUURNS!!" Naruto screeched and almost immediately found himself on the ground with Sakura and Sasuke covering his loud mouth. His screams were muffled for a few seconds as he tried to wriggle free, but found his two teammates to have quite a hold on him.

"What do you mean, you kissed Iruka-sensei?!" Sakura whispered hurriedly, releasing her grip on Naruto as she sat back on her knees and prayed the blonde would calm down a little bit and talk instead of screaming to the entire village what he had just done.

"…I had no choice…" Naruto whimpered as he started licking his own sleeve to try ridding himself of the taste and feel of Iruka's cheek. The last time he kissed the man, he was about six or seven, and it didn't have the same implications this kiss had. _I'm going to Hell…and Iruka and Kakashi-sensei are going to be ruling it…_he assured himself as he bit his lip as his eyes watered up. "A-and…I kind of…asked him out tomorrow…"

"…I thought you two were going out to dinner tonight?" Sakura pointed out curiously, freezing when she saw the pitiful look Naruto gave her. "You didn't…?" In the blink of an eye, Naruto was back on the ground with his female teammate straddling him, her fingers wrapped around his scrawny neck as she shook him for all he was worth. "Baka!! We said to sneak in and drop the flowers off…not have a whole conversation with Iruka-sensei!!"

"He saw me as I was sneaking out…what else could I do?!" Naruto wailed, while choking, as his head was repeatedly bashed into the hard ground. Having grown accustomed to the kunoichi's temper long ago, he let her continue taking out her frustration until Sasuke finally pulled her away from his neck. It was just in time, since Naruto's vision was starting to darken from lack of air. Gasping a little, the teen sat back up and rubbed his aching skull. "Itai…" he mumbled as he looked at his two teammates and immediately saw their murderous glares. "I couldn't help it…I thought he figured out I wasn't Kakashi…b-but he thought I was…so what other choice did I have?!"

"…you could have done something other than make another date and kiss Iruka. Now what happens when Kakashi doesn't show up to their date?" Sakura snapped, pouting slightly. It had taken quite a bit of work to get her note to imitate Kakashi perfectly – especially considering she had no idea what had gone on last night.

"Date…oh, I didn't tell you guys…Iruka said something about taking Kakashi-sensei to the hospital last night…" Naruto said bouncily, knowing this tidbit of information would get his teammates to forgive him – or, at least, forget about their seething hatred for him for a little while. "And Iruka did something to Kakashi-sensei when he left him this morning…he thought Kakashi-sensei was still asleep and he looked really embarrassed when he tried apologizing for it…"

The three teens thought of what could have happened between the two men and they all came up with the same lewd images. No one said a thing – their blushes were quite enough. Sakura squealed softly as she thought about the two men together while her male comrades tried to think of what the two shinobi could have done to put Kakashi in the hospital – besides the obvious, that is. No one wanted to think about their teachers being so rough Kakashi had to seek medical attention. Caught up in their own thoughts and mental images, no one realized the small dog that had appeared in front of them until Pakkun coughed to get their attention.

"So, how did things go?" Pakkun asked, noticing the finger marks around Naruto's neck. Apparently things didn't go as planned, he decided as he saw the blushes covering the other two teen's faces. "What did you do?"

"…sucked Kakashi-sensei into another date…" Sakura finally replied for her silent teammate. "He had no choice…Iruka saw him and thought he really was Kakashi-sensei…" Pakkun dropped his head into one paw as he sighed and, for a moment, wondered how Kakashi dealt with these three on a daily basis and not kill or maim them. The man was a saint…

"What exactly happened last night, Pakkun?" Sasuke questioned, giving the dog a look that told the pug he'd better explain or else the three would get the wrong idea and go search for Kakashi themselves in order to get the story out of the ill jounin.

"Kakashi was…held up…and couldn't make their date. Iruka went over to his apartment, Kakashi hit his head badly enough he had to go to the hospital. They knocked him out with some powerful drugs so he would stay the night. Kakashi pretended to be sleeping when Iruka left this morning and Iruka kissed him…" Pakkun said quickly without taking a breath. The three stared at him with wide eyes, mouths gaping open, for several seconds before Naruto snickered.

"What were they doing that Kakashi-sensei hit his head?" he asked, his tone holding all kind of connotations that sent his two teammates into furious blushes at the images. Naruto, having gotten used to the images in his mad dash from the academy, felt his cheeks turn a light pink as he looked to Pakkun for an answer.

"Actually, from what I've gotten from that idiot, Iruka was sleeping on the couch and Kakashi was making tea. He slipped and hit his head into a cabinet…" Pakkun let out a sigh of defeat. His master, the legendary Copy Cat Nin, had been bested by a kitchen. "He didn't think it was too bad until they realized he cracked his skull…" He shook his head in his paw, wondering how Kakashi could be a genius, but such an idiot at the same time. "He's back at his apartment right now with a throbbing migraine and is dealing with the aftereffects of animal tranquilizers. The hospital isn't too forgiving when jounin come in injured…"

"So, he's pretty much helpless, ne?" Naruto said curiously, a dangerous glint in his eye. His two teammates understood his line of thought while the poor dog felt a wave of fear run through him. Why did he feel like he had just sold Kakashi's soul to the devil?

--

Authoress: okay…this is just not right…I want to write so much more, but I've decided to keep The Most Youthful Challenge's chapters short (well, shorter than those of my other stories)…but it's so hard when I'm having so much fun writing!! So, anyways…I'm off to start the next chapter (poor Kakashi…why is it I always seem to enjoy messing with him most of all?), so please review and thank you for reading The Most Youthful Challenge…until next chapter, ja ne!!


	7. Chapter Six

Authoress: yosh!! Since I've got a streak of inspiration, I'll keep my rants short…thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing…I started this story for Greenislovely-san as a reward for being a 100th reviewer to Underneath the Scars…who would have thought this story would have turned into such a hit!?

Disclaimer:…just shaddup…I know I don't own Naruto…but a girl can still dream, ne?

**Chapter Six**

Kakashi glared at nothing in particular once he was fully awake. Having been rudely woken up from the best sleep he had in years wasn't what had been aggravating him…it was that high-pitched voice screaming for him to get out of bed. For a moment, he wondered if he was just having another nightmare and, if so, could he kill the blonde without repercussions?

Finally deciding it wasn't a nightmare – it was actually real, no matter how much he wished it to be another bad dream – Kakashi slipped out of his warm bed and shuffled towards the loud noise coming from outside his front door. Kakashi winced at the bright light as he finally opened the door. Once his eyes adjusted to the blinding light, he looked down and saw his three demonic students looking up at him. Something in their expressions told him that he should slam the door in their faces and go back to bed before he dug himself a shallow grave, but he knew better. Naruto would just stand there screeching until he let them in.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!! You didn't show up for practice, so we were getting worried," Naruto blatantly lied. The jounin gave him a glare, wondering why the idiot sounded so pleased with himself, and then saw the pug sitting next to Naruto's heels. _He didn't…_Kakashi thought, twitching when he saw the dog's barely contained smirk.

"Go away…" Kakashi mumbled as he rubbed his temples, his migraine coming back in full force as he realized Pakkun had not only told the three why he had skipped practice, but that the pug had done something that Kakashi knew would come back to bite _him_, and not the dog, in the ass.

"Iruka-sensei says hi," Naruto chirped, ignoring his teacher's murderous aura, as he and his fellow shinobi slipped into the apartment uninvited. Pakkun followed at their heels, giving Kakashi a snicker that the jounin knew to interpret as a 'serves you right.'

"What did you three do?" Kakashi finally dared to ask as he trailed behind the teens as they made themselves at home in his kitchen. Their eyes traveled over the bloodstains in the small room, but they had yet to notice the scarlet streaks on his couch. Kakashi thanked whatever deity existed for the small, and very few, blessings he had. Who knew what would go through their twisted minds if they saw blood on the couch. Then again, if Pakkun told them what happened, they wouldn't be surprised.

"We helped…" Naruto replied cheerily, smiling happily at Kakashi. He raised an eyebrow, sensing that they had just made his life a thousand times harder in their crusade to somehow 'help' him. He sighed as he reflexively went to put on some water for tea for the brats – maybe he could lace Naruto's cup with some _almond flavoring_ (A/N: arsenic tastes like almonds…). Shaking his head at such a thought, Kakashi turned to look back at his three hell-sent students. Not only did he not have such poison at hand, but Naruto deserved much worse for making his life a living nightmare. That and he was sure Satan would make his minions immune to any and all poisons.

"…I thought dogs were supposed to be loyal…" Kakashi directed his quiet comment at the dog sitting in Naruto's lap, his short tail wagging happily as the blonde rubbed his ears. Pakkun gave him an evil-looking smirk before shifting so Naruto would scratch his head. "And what do you three want?" he asked, his visible eye widening when he saw the pink tinges to his students' cheeks. Whatever they did, he betted it had something to do with ruining his life.

"…you have a date with Iruka-sensei tomorrow night," Sakura finally replied softly, smiling sweetly at him. Kakashi bit back a curse, wondering how the three had conned the poor academy teacher into their diabolical plan. Iruka didn't want another date with him – did he? Anyways, Iruka wouldn't believe he wanted a second attempt at a date if his three students were the ones to bring it up. _Ma..te…_he glared at the blonde who was blushing the most.

"He thinks I asked…doesn't he?" Kakashi asked accusingly, his eyes burning holes into Naruto. The boy gave him a toothy grin as he chuckled nervously. _If only the Hokage wouldn't miss them…_he thought sadly, wishing the woman hadn't taken such an interest in Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke just happened to be part of the deal when she decided to watch over those two demons. "What possessed you to do something like this?" he asked, wondering if it was possible to die of a migraine as he felt another wave of pain coming on. Leaning against the counter, Kakashi closed his eyes and visibly winced.

"Because you and Iruka-sensei should be together…" Kakashi almost opened his eyes again when he heard none other than his angst-whore of a pupil spout such a romantic notion. He cracked open one eye and caught the glance Sasuke had given Naruto. _What did _I_ miss?_ He wondered, trying to remember if those two had been acting suspicious lately. From the equally unusual expression Naruto gave his teammate, Kakashi figured it was something that had just happened. _About frigging time…_he decided, wanting to be happy for the two, but couldn't help but hate them at the moment. Why was it everyone thought it was okay to meddle in his life?

"Kill me now…" Kakashi mumbled under his breath as he looked at those three happy faces. He expressly told Pakkun that he wasn't sure if he was going to pursue the chuunin in his attempts to beat Gai, so why would the dog enlist the help of his three students to go against his wishes?

"Iruka-sensei really liked the flowers you got him, too…" Pakkun said calmly, chuckling when Kakashi's bleary gaze landed on him. For a moment, the jounin wondered what the pug was talking about, and then realized he had passed out while the dog was still there. Kakashi's hands flew to his jacket, searching for his wallet. When he finally felt the leather, he cursed as he realized the wallet was _much_ too thin. _He stole my money?_! "Oh, don't give me that look, Kakashi. You had it coming. Anyways, you have years to save up again…"

Kakashi almost cried when he realized what the pug meant by that latter statement. It had taken him forever to get all that money. _My one dream…and that flea-ball takes it away…first I'm going to kill those three, then him, and Gai's going to be tortured slowly for thinking up such a stupid bet…_ "You better sleep with one eye open…" he growled as he let go of the thin wallet and gave his dog a glare that even Sasuke would be afraid (while simultaneously proud) of.

"That's not going to get you out of your date with Iruka," Pakkun all but sang. The dog grinned at him as Naruto hit a particularly itchy spot on his back. Kakashi bit back another curse, wondering how it was possible for a bunch of brats and a dog to destroy his life in one day. If Kakashi didn't want to kill all of them so much at the moment, he knew he would have been proud at their deviousness. He hadn't even seen it coming, but the proof that his years of training those three finally paid off wouldn't save them now.

"You had Naruto impersonate me…once I tell Iruka that, I'm sure he would rather _talk_ to him than be part of your twisted plot…" Kakashi gave Naruto a glare rivaling the one he had just used on Pakkun. The boy paled as his hand stopped stroking the dog in his lap.

"Y-you wouldn't do that, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto whined, dropping Pakkun to the floor as he shot across the kitchen to attach himself to the jounin's leg. Kakashi hadn't seen the boy's movement until it registered that his dog was rolling on the floor with a massive lump on his furry head and there was an unusual weight on his thigh. He looked down and wondered how parents somehow raised their children without killing them. If he ever had children, they would be hog-tied in a closet somewhere the first time they started crying. As things were, he couldn't do that to his students without being accused of abuse, so Kakashi had to watch as the teen's big blue eyes filled with tears and Naruto let out a wail, crying about how Iruka would castrate him and beat him to death with his own manhood. Kakashi shivered at such a thought – he never thought Iruka to be so evil, but from what he'd seen of the man's temper thus far, he knew Naruto's imagination wasn't all that far-fetched. Then again, Naruto must have done something other than just ask Iruka out on a date for him if the academy teacher would be _that_ mad at Naruto. He gave the boy a questioning gaze that told Naruto to explain what _exactly_ he did. Naruto quickly let go of the jounin's leg and retreated out of range, in case the jounin thought of strangling him, before recounting his part in all this. "…I gave Iruka a little…" The boy's voice became so quiet that Kakashi hardly caught the next few words. "…kiss for you…"

"YOU WHAT?!" Kakashi, forgetting that he couldn't legally get away with killing his students, shot after the boy as Naruto ran from the room, screaming about how he only did it for the jounin and that Iruka never needed to know.

Amid the screams of pain and fear and breaking of numerous different objects, Sasuke calmly got up as the water started to boil and poured himself, Sakura, and Pakkun cups of tea. He brought the mugs over to the table and sat down next to the kunoichi, taking a pair of earplugs she was holding out for him. They had learned long ago to have a few pairs on hand just in case Naruto got too excited – or when Kakashi felt like trying to kill the boy. Sasuke quickly stuffed the foam-like objects into his ears and was gifted with glorious silence as he sipped at his tea. Pakkun watched their composed actions in amazement, wondering how they could be so relaxed when one of their team was about to be killed, but his curiosity didn't stop him from having Sasuke place another pair of earplugs in his own sensitive ears.

The two teens knew that, sooner or later, Naruto would return to use them for shields to hide from their teacher's anger, Kakashi would beat the boy into unconsciousness and be satisfied with the damage he had done, or the jounin would remember that murder of one's own students was wrong and only mildly torture Naruto. One way or another, they were in for quite a show as the two shinobi flew around the apartment, Naruto using every trick he knew of to evade his teacher while Kakashi was bent on killing the almost indestructible teen. If Naruto was anyone else, they might have been a little afraid for their teammate's life, but they knew that today, in his condition, Kakashi would tire out long before he even got close to executing the blonde.

--

Naruto chewed on his lower lip to stop from crying out as Sakura put some alcohol on the deep wound in his thigh. When their teacher had finally caught up with him after what must have been the hundredth lap around the apartment and sliced his thigh open from hip to knee with a kunai, Naruto had been slowed down to the point it was only a matter of minutes before his teammates had to intervene and hold back their teacher before Naruto passed out from blood loss. The boy studied his wound, wondering how his teacher had been able to start at his hip and somehow almost fully circle his leg counterclockwise with the blade before he had gotten away.

He glared over at the unconscious shinobi slumped over in the only other unbroken chair in the apartment and wondered if Kakashi was faking it just so he would feel safe until his teammates/bodyguards were out of the room. Once Sasuke had gotten hold of Kakashi, the jounin had 'passed out' and had yet to wake up again. Naruto shivered at the thought of what Kakashi could have done to him if the jounin wasn't already injured. He looked down at the gaping hole in the top of his thigh and knew that this would have been considered a minor injury compared to what the jounin would have done to him if that were the case.

"He almost severed an artery," Sakura mumbled angrily as she took her aggravation out on Naruto's already pained leg when she tied a bandage around his thigh, making sure to jerk the white gauze hard every time she encircled his leg. Naruto held back his whimpers, but couldn't stop the tears from coming to his eyes. When she wanted to, Sakura could be even worse than Kakashi. _I didn't even do anything to her! _Naruto inwardly whined as he took a sharp intake of air as the medic nin tied off the bandage with a great deal of unnecessary strength.

"And you're trying to cut off circulation," Sasuke pointed out from the other side of the room where he and Pakkun were sweeping up some broken glass. The vase they were currently cleaning up had been one of the first things to suffer a casualty during the fight and, despite Sakura's best efforts, Naruto wouldn't let them pry the majority of the shards out of his rear. The Uchiha sighed as he picked up the dustpan and quickly disposed of the broken antique. Sasuke personally didn't know his teacher had good (or expensive) taste. That vase alone probably cost more than their organs did on the black market. Sasuke shivered, hoping Kakashi would never think to have them pay him back for everything they'd destroyed over the years. He didn't want to wake up one morning with only one lung and kidney. He had no illusions about Naruto's fate – the boy wouldn't wake up again if Kakashi wanted to sell _his_ organs. Then again, Naruto might actually somehow survive without the _generally_ necessary organs for life…sometimes Sasuke wondered if the blonde could ever die.

"Oh, I'm sorry Naruto…I didn't realize…" Sakura said in surprise, quickly loosening the bandages and Naruto found himself crying out as she brushed against the deepest portion of the wound. Cursing softly, the blonde tore his leg away from the kunoichi's painful grasp and started rewrapping his own leg.

"…what are we going to do when Kakashi-sensei wakes up?" Naruto asked hesitantly, shivering at the thought of what the jounin would do to him when he was well-rested. He had almost died this time!! Sniffling, the blonde looked to his two teammates and saw their apprehensive expressions. He quickly finished up wrapping leg and took one last look over his job, smiling proudly at how neatly he had been able to bandage his leg. Then again, he wouldn't have had to show off his very limited medical abilities if it hadn't been for his teammates. "I'm never letting you guys suck me into another one of your plans again!" he cried as he got up from the chair and hobbled towards Sasuke, pointing at the shinobi accusingly. "And you! You tricked me into helping you in the first place!! And now I'm handicapped for the rest of my liiiiiife!!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he listened to Naruto's whining. Pakkun hummed to himself, being the only smart one and keeping his earplugs in long after the fight was over. While Sakura screeched over Naruto having to rest while his leg healed, the raven-haired teen kept a careful eye on his teammate and continued his cleaning. Naruto, while trying his best to not move his injured leg, bent down to help pick up the larger pieces scattered across the floor. As the teens made their way across the apartment, they winced when they saw what must have once been Kakashi's couch. It had been reduced to sawdust, a few splinters, and several raggedy strips of cloth. The two shinobi hoped that it wasn't one of their teacher's favorite pieces of furniture.

Within a relatively short period of time, the four had cleaned up the apartment and had, with a great deal of effort, moved the surprisingly heavy man to his room. Once Sakura made sure the jounin hadn't been injured in the fight (while Naruto and Sasuke raced back to the kitchen – they_ really _didn't want to see their female companion strip their teacher down to nothing except what was absolutely necessary), she returned to the other room and sighed in exhaustion.

"Who would have thought Kakashi-sensei would overreact so much?" she asked as she leaned against the counter, feeling a bit of satisfaction in finally being able to wash away the blood from it. If it hadn't been for the fact that the blood was dried, she might have thought it was Naruto's from the sheer amount of it. _He must have hit his head quite hard…and Naruto probably just made things worse by making Kakashi-sensei chase him around…_

"_Overreact_?" Naruto squeaked before picking up his heavily bandaged leg and waving it at his teammate. "That sadist nearly killed me!" He sniffled as he pushed himself up and started limping over to pout in Sakura's face, but about halfway across the kitchen, he started feeling dizzy. Sasuke, seeing the blonde's face suddenly go very pale, shot from his seat and was just in time to catch Naruto as he collapsed.

"He lasted much longer than I thought…" Sakura commented unworriedly as she watched the two boys fall to the floor, Sasuke becoming pinned underneath Naruto in what was almost a valiant attempt to hold up the boy's dead weight. The raven-haired teen glared at her from beneath Naruto's heavy frame, but made no attempt to move Naruto's body off of himself. "I gave him some sedatives. With a wound like that, he shouldn't be moving at all…"

"You _drugged_ Naruto…?" Sasuke said quietly, wondering for a moment when Sakura had time to do so, then remembered the alcohol she had produced from a pouch at her side earlier. _She's good…_he thought to himself, making a mental note never to piss off the girl if he could help it. He laid back on the cool floor, listening to the blonde's soft breathing. Naruto was surprisingly heavy for his stature, but Sasuke had to remind himself that the last time he had ever had to carry Naruto was back in their first year as a genin team and, back then, Naruto was even more of a scrawny runt than he was now. He sighed softly, wrapping his arms around the blonde's midsection, knowing full well that Sakura could see him being gentle with Naruto. He glanced over at her and saw a brilliant pink that rivaled her hair color was covering her cheeks. And, for a brief second, Sasuke swore her nose started bleeding. Sakura turned and flew from the room so quickly, however, he didn't get a good enough look to confirm his suspicions. _Just my luck she's a Yaoi fanatic…_he sighed inwardly as he tipped his head forwards and rested his nose in Naruto's soft hair. _Wait…if she's a Yaoi fanatic…what did she do to Kakashi-sensei? _

--

Kakashi woke up for the third time that day, discovering it was evening when he looked out his bedroom window. _Damn it…what happened now?_ He wondered for a moment, and then remembered the race around his apartment as he tried to kill his blonde student. Sighing, Kakashi pulled himself out of the warm bed and shuffled towards the door. He peeked out and saw those three demons out of the corner of his eye. He took a step out of the room, noticing that not one of them moved as he slipped out into the hallway. Looking more closely at the three, he saw that they were actually _asleep_. If he wasn't so pissed at them at the moment, he might have even thought they were cute when curled up the mound they were currently in.

Naruto had his head resting on one of Sasuke's thighs and the raven-haired teen was leaning against the wall where Kakashi's couch once sat. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the missing furniture and then sighed when he recalled how he had destroyed the couch in his attempts to kill Naruto. Sakura was sprawled across the two boys, sitting between Sasuke's spread legs, her head on the tallest teen's chest and her legs curled around Naruto's chest. If he didn't know the three better, Kakashi would have wondered what the three had done while he was asleep, but then froze in mid-thought when he saw their modes of dress. Naruto was, oddly, missing his pants and his orange jacket, leaving a blank tank top that was so tight and tattered that it left nothing to the imagination and boxers that Kakashi guessed to be covered in frogs. He didn't look close enough to make sure of that assessment. Sasuke only had on his customary white shorts, revealing an almost sickeningly pale, yet very well-defined, chest that rose and fell in time with his teammates'. Sakura, unlike her two male comrades, had most of her clothes on, but was down to the final layers and Kakashi didn't have to look very hard to see down her tight shirt.

Kakashi sighed, wondering what exactly they had been up to, and then caught sight of his dog laying across Naruto's exposed stomach. He took a few steps towards the canine and punted the pug into the wall. Somehow, the three teens didn't wake up even as their co-conspirator slid down the wall, cursing loud enough to get the jounin's ears to ring.

"What the hell was that for?!" Pakkun cried as he slowly got up from the ball he had crumpled into as soon as he hit the floor. He gave Kakashi a glare that both knew he had to have learned from his master, but that glare quickly turned into mirth as he let out a snicker. "Go put something on before the kids wake up. I'm sure no one wants to see you in the buff…"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the dog's comment and found his mind going blank as he realized that the room was a little _too_ breezy… He looked down at himself and audibly eeped when he saw he was as bare as the day he was born. _Where the hell are my clothes?!_ Kakashi had to stop himself from screaming that when he recalled the three teens only about a foot away from him. If any of them woke up to see him in such a state, Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself, let alone go to practices and have their knowing, mocking eyes on him. He gave the dog a questioning look that got Pakkun to laugh all the more.

"Oi…Kakashi-sensei's well endowed…" Kakashi felt a shiver go up his back when he heard that comment come from his side, slightly amazed that particular teen knew the meaning of 'endowed.' He barely turned and found three pairs of eyes on him and a small part of the man died right then and there. With the speed the jounin community were known for, he grabbed the closest thing to cover himself with. Too bad for his pug, Pakkun happened to be that closest thing.

"THIS GOES FAR BEYOND A MAN'S BEST FRIEND!! LET ME GOOO!!" Pakkun cried, his voice muffled as Kakashi unconsciously pressed the dog's face closer to his otherwise exposed groin. The three teens couldn't stop their giggling as Kakashi took a few sidesteps back towards his room, trying his best to keep his lower body hidden. He pulled one hand away from Pakkun and felt for his mask and let out a small sigh of relief when he felt that the black material was still in its proper place. He quickly returned his hand to his tight grip on the pug before Pakkun started to squirm too much. Kakashi _really_ didn't want to give the three demons a full frontal view of himself.

"He doesn't have a bad butt either," Sakura added to Naruto's previous comment, snuggling closer to Sasuke's collar bone. She never imagined Sasuke's skin could be so soft or warm. The remaining member of the trio, trying to ignore the girl that was far beyond violating his personal space, just gave Kakashi a look that got the jounin to tremble. No one, short of some kind of perverted, horny old guy should be able to give a man shivers like that from one little look.

"Pretty muscular…" Sasuke finally joined in on the appraisal – Kakashi suddenly started feeling like a large piece of meat from the looks his students were giving him. The jounin took a few more steps towards his escape, ignoring his dog's stifled protests as he moved.

"Yea, but his legs are too scrawny," Naruto pointed out and, if the conditions were slightly different, Kakashi would have adamantly argued that comment. He had very strong, shapely legs – Kakashi shook his head as soon as that thought passed through his mind, knowing better than to say such a thing to his students. The three demonic children would probably remind him of such a description for the rest of his miserable life.

Kakashi was only a few steps away from the hallway when Pakkun finally realized that it would be too easy to get away from his master's grasp. _Use me as a shield will you?_ The dog thought to himself as he opened his mouth and took a bite of what lay in front of him. All the jounin felt was a surge of pain that forced him to his knees, bending over himself in agony, as he dropped the dog to the floor. Any train of thought Kakashi had flew far from his mind as he gasped for breath, wondering if he was dying. Pakkun, however, calmly strolled back to the three teens, spitting every few paces, while Kakashi whimpered, unable to make any other sound other than a squeak every now and again.

"Nasty taste…" Pakkun muttered as he smirked slyly and gave Naruto a quick high-five before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Kakashi's three students waited until the man let out a little moan, which proved he hadn't passed out from the pain, before continuing on with their conversation.

"I don't know…Iruka-sensei might break him in two…" Sakura said softly, looking at her two teammates and could see the pink tinge to their cheeks. She then realized she was the only person in the room _not_ blushing up a storm and the kunoichi chuckled at this observation. "Come on, Naruto…you said Iruka-sensei's really well built…"

"Like a body builder…" Naruto agreed quietly as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the twinges of pain that went through his bandaged leg and his equally wrapped behind. It had hurt terribly to be in that position with Sakura half-laying on him for so long, but it had been part of their plan. Kakashi wouldn't have had his guard down so much – and probably would have been more observant of his surroundings and lack of clothing – if they hadn't been so snuggly with one another. The fact Sasuke was getting overheated and took off his shirt and his teammates found out he usually wore nothing underneath the shirt was just a bonus in Sakura's mind. She too had stripped off some of her outer layers, wondering how Kakashi dealt with the almost unbearable heat in his apartment. Naruto, unlike his two teammates, however, didn't take anything off as part of their plan or due to the heat. His orange jacket had been diced into tiny pieces by their teacher and his pants had suffered a similar fate – of course, the teen would have kept them on, except for the fact Sakura had been fixing his leg earlier.

"But if he gets so worked up over one kiss, he might not be good for Iruka-sensei…" Sasuke pointed out, getting nods from his two teammates. If they hadn't planned this conversation, he knew he would be sitting there silently, blushing furiously, as Naruto and Sakura took stabs at their incapacitated sensei. As things were, however, he found himself enjoying the verbal attacks on the man. Kakashi had actually hurt Naruto…for that, Sasuke was willing to say things that he would never dare to normally say. The most the man ever did before was pummel Naruto – but that gouge to the blonde's leg was too much in Sasuke's mind. Kakashi needed to be taught a lesson.

"You little bastards…" Kakashi said coldly between wheezes. If he hadn't sounded so pathetic, the three probably would have been running for safety at the moment, but they knew that Kakashi wouldn't be able to do anything to them for some time. Pakkun got a good bite of Kakashi's nether regions, even though the pug had been quite against the whole plan in the first place. The original plan was to have Pakkun attack him, but since Kakashi took the dog as a cover, there was no need for the frontal assault.

"Now, Kakashi-sensei…don't you have something to say to Naruto?" Sakura asked sweetly as she dislodged herself from her two teammates and walked over to the bent over jounin. Kakashi glared at her for a moment before looking over at the blonde and, for the first time, noticing the bandages stretching from the teen's knee all the way up under his boxers. The bandages must have originally been white, but Kakashi could see a red trail of blood soaking through the gauze. _I cut him?_ He wondered, trying to remember when he had nicked the idiot's leg. Wincing, he finally recalled that he had stabbed the uppermost part of the teen's thigh. From the looks of it, Naruto must have pulled away while turning to cause such a spiraled injury and that the wound must be very deep to have been bleeding so severely.

"Is he still bleeding?" Kakashi asked, feeling a little sheepish over his earlier uncontrollable rage. Naruto healed faster than anyone else, so he knew he could be a little rougher with the brat, but that cut didn't look like it had stopped bleeding yet. _Did I get a vein or artery?_ Kakashi wondered as he glanced at Naruto's face and saw how pale the boy actually looked. He knew enough medicine to know someone of the blonde's complexion should never turn that color unless they live in some kind of cave for several years, never seeing the light of day. _Severe blood loss? He should be in the hospital…_Kakashi realized and, with that, started to mentally berate himself for his lack of self-control.

Sakura kneeled down in front of him and sighed at the pitiful sight of her teacher. "Thankfully, no longer from his leg. There're a few other cuts that were pretty deep, though. We knocked him out for a little while, which gave me time to stitch back up a few minor veins you nicked and to remove the glass from his behind. Naruto can hardly sit up, let alone walk for more than a few steps. He lost a lot of blood, but he won't let us take him to the hospital," Sakura replied quietly so that the other two teens couldn't hear her. She saw her teacher wince and her woman's intuition told her it wasn't from his own wounds that got him to cringe. "He'll be fine once the Kyuubi finishes healing him and after a bit of rest."

"I didn't mean to get so…" Kakashi trailed off, unsure what to call his actions. Violent? Crazed? Kakashi could think of many more terms that would fit with his lack of restraint. Even though Naruto _had_ done some unforgivable things, claiming it was all for their teacher, he had no reason to put his student in such a position that it was taking the _Kyuubi_ some time to heal him.

"You can make it up to me, you bastard!" Naruto cried from across the room, having heard every word of the two shinobi's private conversation with his excellent hearing. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the fingered gesture Naruto gave him, but didn't say anything since he knew he, in a way, deserved it. "You can go meet up with Iruka. He's going to be waiting over at Ichiraku's for me to celebrate my birthday…"

_Birthday? Shimatta…it's his birthday?_ Kakashi inwardly cursed, feeling even worse about what he did to the blond idiot. He didn't even realize it was close to Naruto's birthday…not that he paid much attention to such things in the first place. It was one thing to beat Naruto to within an inch of his life, but to hurt him badly enough on his birthday that he couldn't even celebrate it was another thing entirely. Kakashi took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't possibly deny Naruto that one little demand after what he did to him. Kakashi let the breath out slowly, wondering if it was part of Naruto's plan to get beaten up so that the jounin would have to take his spot tonight.

Kakashi breathed slowly, waiting for the ache in his groin to finally dissipate. Once the last ebbs of pain passed, he slowly got up and made no attempts to cover his nudity up, which sent his three students into fits of blushing (or in Sakura's case, nosebleeds). _Serves those hellish brats right…_Kakashi thought as he took a deep breath to keep his calm composure and proudly walked out into the hallway. Once he was sure the three demons could no longer see him, Kakashi shot into his room, blushing for all he was worth. Locking his door securely behind himself, Kakashi leaned against the cool wood and asked himself how he could have possibly not noticed he was walking around naked before. He sighed, hoping his students, by some miracle, would forget about that little event. Kakashi pushed himself off the door, knowing that he couldn't keep Iruka waiting forever – not unless he wanted to deal not only with the chuunin's wrath, but that of his three students and all the members of WASABI. Looking around his room, the jounin wondered what he would wear to a date with Iruka, since he knew the three teens wouldn't let him out of his house in his uniform.

_Gai…you will be the first to die…_he decided as he went into his closet in search of something other than his normal outfit. Once he found something he prayed the hell-sent matchmakers would deem appropriate, he quickly got dressed and tried to leave the apartment as quickly as possible, but froze when he heard the cat calls from the teens as he shot by the kitchen.

Kakashi took a few steps back and walked into the room, looking at his three students as Sakura and Sasuke tried helping Naruto off the floor. The blonde cursed colorfully as he finally got up, rubbing his bandaged leg. Noticing their teacher was watching them, three pairs of eyes landed on him and Kakashi found himself scratching the back of his head. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei…you better be on your best behavior tonight…" Naruto stated sternly as he hobbled over towards the jounin. Kakashi, feeling sorry for the teen when he saw how much those few steps hurt the boy, walked over to Naruto and leaned forwards when Naruto gestured for him to bend down. The next statement that Naruto whispered into his ear got the hair on the back of Kakashi's neck to rise in fear, "Who do you think started WASABI, ne?"

Naruto took a step back and gently patted the jounin on his masked cheek. Kakashi felt his mouth drop open as the _seemingly_ sweet boy hobbled back to his friends. Sasuke and Sakura gave Naruto curious looks over that last quiet portion of his statement. Something that surprised the jounin to the point Kakashi had yet to move since Naruto whispered to him was certainly something that piqued their interest. "Have fun tonight, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura chirped, finally shaking Kakashi out of his stupor.

_That little brat created WASABI? Then again, who else would have thought of such a stupid name?_ Kakashi shook his head, waving once to his students before returning to his escape from the apartment. He knew the three could be trusted with his home – Sasuke actually had a key to the place from years ago when Kakashi gave him one-on-one training for the chuunin exams – so he didn't even look back once as he started down the street to Ichiraku's. He stopped in mid-step, however, when he heard Naruto's voice carrying all the way from his apartment.

"TOUCH A HAIR ON IRUKA'S HEAD AND YOU'LL THINK LAST NIGHT WAS ENJOYABLE!!" The jounin winced when he heard Naruto's scream. Remembering his little visit with WASABI, Kakashi cringed at what the strange association could possibly come up with if, somehow, he _did _actually do something with the chuunin or, heaven forbid, they ever found out about his bet with Gai. He prayed for a moment that things would never come to that. Returning to his previous thoughts, Kakashi smirked at his students' over protectiveness of the academy teacher. _What do they think I'd do to Iruka-sensei?_ He wondered and got a whole host of ideas that got his visible eye to curve upwards. _A body builder's body, huh? Iruka _was_ pretty well built…but I didn't get a good enough look. I probably wouldn't have even tried to take off his clothes if I knew that brat was the ringleader of that damn group…now my life's going to be a living hell because of Gai._ Quickly, Kakashi decided that the Green Beast of Konoha, once this bet was over, would be tortured in the most painful ways he could come up with. Already starting the list of what he could do to the spandex-clad man, Kakashi hummed to himself as he continued his stroll through town as though, in the matter of minutes, his students hadn't just stripped away his pride, forced him to feel sorry for beating up Naruto when the brat deserved it, and conned him into a second date with the first person Kakashi was starting to regret ever thinking of pursuing.

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Authoress: I think that was an interesting chapter…poor Kakashi didn't know what he was getting himself into when he decided to pick Iruka as his prey…kukuku…I almost (_almost) _feel sorry for him sometimes…then remember that he wanted to seduce Iruka in the first place…serves him right, ne? kukuku…so, until next time, thank you so much for reading so far and please remember to review to this chapter! Ja ne!!


	8. Chapter Seven

Authoress: sugoi!!! I'm being lazy this weekend and not doing college work…so, I'm doing my best to get as many chapters done and up on FFN as soon as possible…so, on to a whole new chapter of 'The Most Youthful Challenge'!!!

Disclaimer:…if only…//drools slightly// could you just imagine what I could do with Iruka and Kakashi…

**Chapter Seven**

Iruka looked down at his cup of tea as he swirled the brown liquid around. He distinctly remembered telling Naruto that he would be at Ichiraku's at six, but the hour had come and gone and the blonde had yet to show up. This year was actually the first time Naruto hadn't been several hours early for his birthday celebration, already starting in on his night-long ramen binge that was fully paid for by Iruka. Smiling to himself, Iruka recalled how sick Naruto had gotten last year after beating his old record for how many bowls he could eat in one sitting. If the boy didn't hurry up, he wouldn't even get close to beating _any_ of his scores before Ichiraku's closed for the night.

Sliding back in his seat, Iruka looked around the small ramen stand and found his heart skipping a beat as he caught a glimpse of a certain jounin leaning against the front door. Though one eye and the majority of his face were covered up, Iruka could tell Kakashi had been watching him. How long, however, was a mystery to the chuunin. Iruka waved to the older shinobi and, for a moment, chuckled at the surprise in Kakashi's visible eye as the man realized Iruka had seen him.

"Maa…Iruka-sensei…" Kakashi said as he walked over to the chuunin. He had been putting off coming into the ramen stand for almost half an hour as he watched the teacher, trying to think of a way to explain Naruto's absence, and his presence, without telling Iruka he had injured the boy. He had a feeling WASABI would be nothing in comparison to an angry, overprotective Iruka.

"Kakashi-sensei…how are you feeling?" Iruka asked as he studied the silver-haired jounin for any hint Kakashi was still feeling the aftereffects of the tranquilizers – or their meeting this afternoon. Kakashi _had _been acting kind of unusual before, but Iruka had decided it had to have been a mixture of the pain meds and Kakashi's embarrassment that made him act like one of his teenage students. Smiling, he kept the thought that Kakashi's earlier behavior reminded him of Naruto to himself.

"Better," Kakashi replied, sitting down next to Iruka on an empty stool. The chuunin smiled at his answer, which made Kakashi wonder what his demonic blonde student had told Iruka when he was impersonating him.

"Thank you again for the flowers…they were not necessary," Iruka commented before taking a sip from his, now, lukewarm tea. Closing his eyes, Iruka recalled how nice the large bouquet looked in his kitchen. Racing home and arranging the flowers was one of the first things he did after he got over the realization Kakashi had kissed him. After that, Iruka could only sit in stunned silence as he wondered how he had been sucked into another date with the jounin. Gai had said all of this was just a bet…but there was something about Kakashi's actions as well as how the man was looking at him right now with his one visible eye.

"It was nothing…" Kakashi replied while mentally cursing his students. He had already damned Pakkun to the deepest pit of hell for stealing his money, but seeing the chuunin's smile now, he couldn't help but think that the four had done a little bit (a very, very minute amount) of good when they gave Iruka flowers from him. "Did you like them?" he asked with a cough, unsure of how to gauge Iruka's opinion of his students' and dog's idea of a present. He had never given anyone flowers before…hell, he had never gone on a second date! Chuckling inwardly, Kakashi realized that was exactly what this 'chance' meeting could be considered.

"They were beautiful…how did you know lilies were my favorite?" Iruka asked, wondering if the blonde had anything to do with Kakashi's romantic gift this afternoon. It did sound like something Naruto would do…but the jounin who was thought to be emotionless?

"I…Naruto…" Kakashi mumbled, unsure how exactly to answer such a question. He hoped Naruto would know such a thing. If not, the species of flower had been a very lucky guess on his students' part.

Iruka chuckled, imagining Kakashi asking his bouncy student what Iruka's favorite flowers were. It didn't sound like the heartless jounin everyone thought Kakashi to be, but, then again, Kakashi had been very kind to him last night. Perhaps everyone just hadn't seen the side of Kakashi Iruka had caught a glimpse of while Kakashi tried to take care of him. "Do you know where Naruto is? He was supposed to meet me for dinner tonight. It's his birthday…"

Kakashi thought of a reason for his student's absence to a night of ramen and then inwardly laughed evilly as he got back at his students for tricking him. "He and Sasuke wanted to celebrate his birthday…_alone_…" Kakashi stated, coughing suggestively in all the appropriate places as he glanced over at Iruka. From the red flare that quickly came to the chuunin's face, Kakashi could tell Iruka was thinking about all kind of scandalous things the blonde and raven-haired teens could do.

"Oh…" Iruka said softly, biting back the urge to visibly celebrate for his adopted son. It was about time Naruto stopped tiptoeing around the issue of his attraction towards Sasuke. With that thought, Iruka had to wonder who made the first move. Sasuke didn't seem like the type to take the initiative. He didn't seem like the person who would actually want to be in any kind of relationship, especially in one with someone as bouncy as Naruto. Then again, Naruto had been attracted to Sasuke for _years_, but he had never built up the courage to tell the angst whore about his feelings. Iruka knew Naruto's hesitancy wasn't out of embarrassment, but out of fear of rejection. Naruto would rather love Sasuke in secret and deal with the pain that such an existence would create than find out his emotions disgusted Sasuke. "And Sasuke…"

"Last I saw those two, they were snuggling…" Kakashi replied, mentally letting out an evil laugh. He glanced over at Iruka and caught the mirth in the brunette's eyes. Having seen a similar look in his female student's face more than once, Kakashi knew Iruka was doing his best to hold back a squeak of 'kawaii!!' The man did a good job of it as he took another sip of his tea to hide the smile that came to his face. "They sent me over here to tell you Naruto wouldn't be coming tonight, but…" Kakashi trailed off, wondering how to broach the subject of taking Iruka to dinner after his botched attempts last night. That, added to his uncertainty of how Naruto had somehow slipped and asked Iruka out on a date, made Kakashi wary as how to ask the tanned chuunin next to him. "I-if you don't mind…I'd like to…um…" Kakashi inwardly cursed himself, wondering why he was finding it so difficult to ask the chuunin to a simple dinner and, if by chance it ended the way all of Kakashi's other dates ended and he won his bet with Gai, then so be it. The thought of having a single night with Iruka just to get Gai to leave him alone did strange things to the jounin's chest and Kakashi had to force himself to bite back the urge to look into those unusual sensations. He knew nothing good could come from enlightening himself on such matters. At the very least, he knew he would discover that he had started developing a soft characteristic that could almost be considered humanity. Kakashi didn't even want to think of what could be on the other end of the spectrum.

Iruka, somehow, contained the blush he felt as he realized Kakashi was, in his own nervous way, trying to ask him out on _another_ date. _Persistent…_Iruka couldn't help but think to himself with a chuckle. That mental chuckle died down, however, when Iruka remembered what Gai had told him about his and Kakashi's bet. _Is he only coming after me so he could win this bet with Gai?_ He wondered to himself as he looked into Kakashi's one visible eye and could only see the usual dullness of the chronically bored jounin. Looking slightly closer – bordering on outright staring – Iruka caught a glimpse of something else besides Kakashi's customary nonchalance. He somehow knew it wasn't simply victory; Kakashi wasn't looking at him like some sort step towards beating Gai. No, it was something Iruka was unable to pinpoint. All he knew was that, as soon as he saw that emotion in Kakashi's eye, he felt his stomach flip.

If it had been anyone else, Kakashi would have definitely been annoyed with how Iruka was studying him without even trying to hide it. With the chuunin, however, Kakashi found himself unable to deny the man a closer look. Iruka had already gone through quite a bit because of him and, because of Kakashi's mild violent streak, was now unable to treat that blonde idiot to a birthday dinner. If anything, Kakashi felt like he should be doing more for the chuunin. Then again, he – _apparently_ – had already asked Iruka out again in attempts to make up for last night. Of course, Kakashi had the feeling that if he ever told Iruka about his team's trickery, Naruto would find himself with far more worse injuries than the few scratches Kakashi had left him with. For a moment, Kakashi wondered if the indestructible teen would survive such an encounter. If there was anyone that could kill the blonde, the jounin knew it would be the pre-genin teacher that he was coming to realize was more than just bipolar. He couldn't help but wonder if Iruka was at all sane. Then again, who would volunteer to teach those midget-demons if they had all their mental faculties intact?

Recalling Kakashi's stuttered question as he finally pulled his gaze away from the jounin's masked face, Iruka took a deep breath. Not too many people had ever asked him out on a second date – let alone ask him out twice in the same day! It seemed that most people kept their distance after a first date that Iruka thought had gone well. If he had to describe his dates after that first dinner, movie, or whatever it was they did, he would have to say they looked like they feared for their lives whenever they were around him. Kakashi was definitely the first person to have the courage to ask him out again. Iruka, no matter how many times he asked those who had gone on a date with him, could never get an answer explaining why they were so afraid. They acted like he had the plague or something, keeping as far away from him as possible. Some even acted like making direct eye contact with him would do them physical harm. Whatever it was that frightened everyone else away was either something Kakashi had yet to encounter or he wasn't that easily scared. "Would you like ramen?" Iruka asked as he gestured towards the counter. The jounin jerked back so quickly when Iruka spoke that he nearly fell off his stool. Raising an eyebrow at the silver-haired man's reaction, Iruka couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi had forgotten what he had just asked. Figures the first person who wasn't afraid of him wasn't all there… Then again, for Kakashi to have made such a bet with Gai, he could not possibly be completely sane. _What kind of person bets on love?! _Iruka thought, surprising himself at the twinge of anger and hurt that came with realizing why Kakashi was here. _It's just a game with him. _Iruka could not help but grin as he thought of a way to get back at Kakashi for being so heartless. The chuunin couldn't stop himself from rubbing his hands together beneath the counter as he mentally laid out his plan.

"Maa…" Kakashi glanced around Ichiraku's, unable to stop himself from wondering if that little blonde brat would consider this a good enough date atmosphere. Not only does his demonic team get him sucked into another date with the crazed chuunin, but Naruto already broke that uncomfortable 'first kiss' barrier _and_ they made him actually get more dressed up than he had been in a long time – even if it was only a step above his uniform. He had the feeling he would only be digging his grave further if they thought a ramen stand wasn't the proper place to take Iruka to dinner. Then again, he had invited Iruka to Ichiraku's last night and no one had complained about that. Taking a calculated risk, Kakashi nodded his head quickly as he hoped that his students and WASABI wouldn't care where he took the teacher out on a date.

Kakashi watched as Iruka flagged down the cook behind the counter and, without even glancing at a menu, the chuunin spurted out an order that, even with his legendary genius, Kakashi found himself trying to recall all the various dishes Iruka had ordered for them. Given the chuunin's shy nature, for a moment, the jounin was mildly surprised Iruka had ordered for him as well. Then again, (from what he got from Iruka's rapid-fire ordering) the chuunin was getting everything the ramen stand made. Perhaps Iruka was ordering so much because he wasn't sure what the jounin would like. Kakashi quickly dismissed such a possibility, since it would have just been easier, cheaper, and faster to ask him directly what he would like to eat. What came out of Iruka's mouth next, however, settled Kakashi's curiosity on Iruka's ordering methods, but brought about a whole host of new questions – and some fear.

"What would you like to eat, Kakashi?" Iruka asked innocently as he and the cook turned to look to the jounin and, for a brief instant, Iruka swore he saw the jounin's jaw drop. Inwardly chuckling, he realized why Kakashi's visible eye widened. Few people, besides Naruto, knew that he had an appetite that would make any Akimichi proud. It also wasn't common knowledge that Naruto's love of ramen had been passed down to him from his guardian. Iruka couldn't help but recall the first time he had taken Naruto out for ramen – the day Naruto had finally started eating solid food. The little blonde baby, with his first noodle, had squealed happily and then proceeded to dump the bowl of ramen on his head. For a while after that, Iruka was not allowed to eat at the counter, since Naruto insisted on making such a mess of his ramen. The last straw for the owner seemed to be when Naruto tried to climb in his bowl for a ramen-scented bath. It hadn't been until Naruto was about six or seven that the old man trusted the blonde's table manners enough to let Naruto sit back up on the stools.

Kakashi could not help but stare at Iruka as the chuunin's question was slowly processed. Not even Naruto ate so much…and the blonde had a black hole for a stomach! Curious to see if Iruka would be able to eat everything he ordered, Kakashi quickly mumbled the first ramen flavor that came to mind. Within mere moments, a bowl of steaming pork ramen was sitting in front of him, but all Kakashi could do was watch Iruka eye the several bowls in front of him as he purposely clicked a pair of chopsticks together.

--

Kakashi took a quick glance over at Iruka as the younger man finally sat back on his stool, letting out a sigh of contentment. The jounin could not help but compare the brunet to his blonde, hell-sent student. If it had been Naruto, the boy would have been rubbing his stomach happily, only to get that green tinge to his face before running towards the closest bathroom. Anyone else, even the blonde glutton, would not have a large enough stomach to fit a small fraction of what he just watched Iruka consume. Iruka, of course, looked like he had no intention of bolting for the bathroom to regurgitate his meal. If anything, that hungry gleam was still in his eyes and that fact alone disturbed Kakashi enough that he could barely keep himself from running from Iruka in fear.

"Aren't you hungry?" Iruka asked softly as he looked to Kakashi when he felt the jounin's eyes on him. Since ordering, Kakashi had been quiet and had been giving the chuunin the oddest glances every time he thought Iruka wouldn't notice. If he knew any better, Iruka would have thought that Kakashi had never seen a ramen-loving shinobi eat before. Then again, Naruto had yet to beat Iruka's score of most bowls of ramen eaten in one sitting. Of course, this gorging went far beyond his high score and, already, Iruka was starting to feel the effects of it. Inwardly wincing as he wondered why he thought he needed to eat so much, Iruka did his best to keep his discomfort from Kakashi.

"…I ate…" Kakashi momentarily glanced down at the one empty bowl sitting in front of him, but his eyes quickly turned to the piles of bowls that were stacked precariously around the chuunin. Strangely, Kakashi could not help but wonder how Iruka kept his muscular figure with such eating habits, let alone stay fit enough to keep up with those demonic pre-genin students of his. Kakashi knew that if he had eaten a quarter of what he just watched Iruka inhale, he would have been in bed for a week with horrendous digestive problems. Of course, he probably would have taken a page from Naruto's book and gone running for the closest bathroom as soon as he finished eating such an amount. Then again, Naruto only ate like that when someone else was paying, which got Kakashi's visible eye to widen as he craned his neck in order to count the number of bowls in the leaning towers. The number he came up with, along with the price of such a feast, got him to cringe and, if Kakashi didn't know any better, he would have sworn his wallet let out a soft sob.

_Little bastards…_Kakashi inwardly cursed, knowing his students would assume he would do the gentlemanly thing and pay for both his and Iruka's meals. With any other male acquaintance he ate with, they paid for their own food and Kakashi wondered why Iruka had to be any different. The answer to his question just happened to loudly stroll into Ichiraku's at that very moment. Glaring at Anko, who was clinging to Ibiki's arm and all but dragging the torture expert into the restaurant with her, Kakashi wondered if they were following him or just happened to be in the area. OF course, with Anko, there was no such thing as coincidences. In response to his glare, Anko smiled sweetly, though her eyes told a different story, warning him of all the tortures he would face if he make one mistake with the chuunin next to him. Letting out a small sigh, Kakashi felt his self-preservation instincts kick in and he started fishing through his pockets for his wallet.

Praying that Pakkun would have been kind enough to leave some money in his wallet after robbing him blind, Kakashi found the unusually thin fold of leather and, to his surprise, found several large bills in the wallet. Glancing over at Iruka, he could only hope that the chuunin was finally done eating. With a wave of his amazingly steady hand, which Kakashi was surprised to see he was able to keep his fearful shaking under control, the jounin flagged down the owner and watched with dread as the older man handed him a bill. For a moment, the jounin wondered if he should just give up now and let Anko take him away, but finally worked up enough courage to look down at the seemingly harmless piece of paper. Once the circled number finally registered in his mind, Kakashi felt a number of brain cells sizzle to their death as a minor tick came to his face, but was thankfully covered by his hitai-ate.

Iruka could not help but watch Kakashi's reaction in amusement. Few people had such outrageous sums of money, especially on their person, so he was surprised to see the jounin start leafing through his wallet and pulling out bills that would cover Iruka's gluttony. Despite his earlier opinion of the jounin, Iruka could not help but be impressed. Either Kakashi was paid quite well or he had done enough research on the chuunin to know Iruka had a penchant for ramen. The momentary wince he saw brush across Kakashi's face, however, kicked Iruka's conscience into overdrive and the chuunin could not help but feel sorry for Kakashi. Placing a hand over Kakashi's, Iruka could not help but smile as he shook his head.

"Let me," Iruka said softly as he looked up into the jounin's face and found himself unable to pull his gaze away from Kakashi's. There was something in the older shinobi's eyes that made his heart beat faster. Inwardly cursing his romantic tendencies, Iruka quickly pulled his hand away from Kakashi's and sat back in his seat. Looking down at the counter, the brunet took several deep breaths, hoping his face was not as red as it felt.

When he finally heard a rustle of paper, Iruka pulled his gaze away from the counter and looked to Kakashi and, to his amazement, the bill was gone. With a quick glance to the owner, catching his Cheshire cat-like grin, Iruka knew exactly what had just happened. Though he wanted to be angry at Kakashi for not listening to him, Iruka could not help but feel slightly pleased by the jounin's gentlemanly gesture. "That was not necessary," Iruka had to point out as he watched Kakashi replace his, now, empty wallet back into a pocket at his hip.

Inwardly crying as he watched the ramen shop's owner greedily count out the bills, Kakashi barely heard Iruka's statement. Hearing the chuunin's voice, however, snapped Kakashi out of his self-pitying and the jounin looked at Iruka for a moment. Only moments before, when Iruka had suggested he pay, Kakashi was surprised to feel a sharp dart of pride stab at him. He knew Iruka had not meant to suggest Kakashi could not cover the bill, but Kakashi could not help the newfound need to prove himself to the chuunin – and Anko, whose eyes Kakashi could feel burning holes into his back. It had also been at that moment, when Iruka's hand had innocently touched his, that Kakashi felt _something_. Very few had ever touched him so gently, but no one had ever elicited such a feather-soft shiver of pleasure along with their momentary contact. A part of Kakashi had actually wished that Iruka's hand had remained on his longer than it had. Quickly shaking such absurd ideas from his head, Kakashi plastered his customary grin on his face and waved at Iruka's concern.

"Maa…it's no problem, Iruka-sensei…" Kakashi replied as he looked to the chuunin. There was a slight pink tinge on the tan man's cheeks, which made Kakashi quite curious. He was quite sure he hadn't some how embarrassed the chuunin, but what other reason could there be for Iruka to be blushing so adorably? _Mate…adorably?_ Kakashi searched his mind, trying to think of where such a comment could have come from, but couldn't discover its origin. Thinking about it now, however, he had to admit that there was something about Iruka other than his ramen-binging, bipolar tendencies. The man, Kakashi discovered since yesterday, was quite compassionate when he thought Kakashi was either incapacitated or unconscious. Recalling that gentle brush of Iruka's lips against his forehead, Kakashi had to stop himself from bringing a hand up to his head to touch the spot that, as though his body was working against him, had started to tingle as it had this morning.

Iruka watched Kakashi curiously, finding himself entranced with the pink glow that was creeping up over the jounin's mask. Unsure what the jounin could possibly be blushing over, Iruka could not help but feel a little uncomfortable. It could be either because he was recalling their kisses, if they could be called that, or how Kakashi had gotten him flowers today. If Iruka didn't know any better, he would question whether that man who had brought him the bouquet today really was the heartless jounin everyone thought Kakashi to be.

_…_Iruka's mind went blank as he recalled today's events and, for a moment, wondered if it was possible Kakashi had nothing to do with his romantic gestures. Naruto was the only person who knew what his favorite flower and color were, though Kakashi could have gotten such information from the blonde easily enough. Then again, Naruto was supposed to meet him tonight, but Kakashi had instead. Kakashi said he came because Naruto wanted Iruka to know he would not be able to make it…but that did not sound like usual Naruto behavior. If Naruto had finally worn Sasuke down, he would have dragged the raven-haired teen with him all the way here just so that Iruka would have been able to interrogate Sasuke like any other parent would. _Could it be…Naruto is in on this bet?_ Iruka quickly shook such a thought from his head. The teen was not that cold. If anything, Naruto might just be helping push Kakashi in the right direction, unaware of Kakashi and Gai's bet. If that was the case, Iruka knew he would have to tell Naruto that his and Kakashi's relationship was none of his concern and should mind his own business. The thought that Naruto wanted Iruka to like Kakashi, however, was a heartwarming one for Iruka – Naruto had always wanted Iruka to find someone, but he had always disliked every other person Iruka had seen over the years. Perhaps he thought Kakashi would be perfect for Iruka – if so, Iruka knew he would have to give Kakashi a chance. That chance, however, did not mean Iruka would play the fool to Kakashi and Gai's bet. No, Kakashi was definitely going to pay for that one.

"I should be going home…I have classes tomorrow morning," Iruka said softly, doing his best to sound slightly tired, though his mind was racing with ways to tell Kakashi he was aware of his bet with Gai. Kakashi nodded his head, quickly sliding off his stool as Iruka got up. Forcing himself not to grab his belly as he stood up, Iruka had to bite back a soft groan. He certainly ate too much ramen tonight and would be paying for it later.

With a quick wave of farewell to the owner, Iruka and Kakashi made their way out of the restaurant. Once out on the quiet street, Iruka began walking towards his apartment, curious to see whether or not Kakashi would be the kind of date to walk him home. If so, Iruka's opinion of Kakashi would raise a small amount. Keeping his walk to a sedate stroll, Iruka listened for the almost inaudible sound of Kakashi's feet as the jounin quickly shuffled to match Iruka's pace. Falling into a comfortable silence as they walked, Iruka glanced over at Kakashi and found the jounin to be outright staring at him. Iruka knew he would have felt discomforted if it had been anyone else focusing their gaze on him with so much interest, but he could not help but blush slightly at Kakashi's attentions.

Coughing softly, Iruka turned to look up at the sky. If it had been anyone else but Kakashi, he knew he would have made some sort of comment about the weather or the stars, but he had read enough of Kakashi's beloved romance novels to know it would have developed into one of those cliché moments where they were lost in each others eyes. Quickly biting the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from snorting at the idea of staring into Kakashi's one visible eye like some kind of love-sick puppy, Iruka glanced over at the tall shinobi, noticing that Kakashi's gaze had yet to shift from him.

"Maa…I'm sorry about last night…" Kakashi finally said softly as he finally pulled his eyes away from Iruka, looking forwards as he tried to think of a rational explanation for why he felt like he needed to explain himself. "I-I ran into a bit of trouble…WASABI gang members…" Cursing those he once called friends for joining that insane club of Naruto's, Kakashi glowered at a harmless fruit stand in front of him with all the hatred he felt for the gang. Anyone passing by the pair of shinobi would have immediately though Kakashi had a particular hate for the few apples and oranges that were left on the wood structure.

"It is alright, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka replied as he tried imaging how powerful the gang had to have been for them to injure Kakashi so badly. For a moment, he wondered what Kakashi would do to find the elusive gang in order to exact his revenge. Iruka had the sinking feeling that Kakashi was nowhere near the kind of person to let things go, especially when they have caused him some kind of pain or humiliation.

"Going to the hospital couldn't have been what you wanted to do last night," Kakashi pointed out as his visible eye curved upwards in amusement. Wondering how far he could push the bipolar chuunin before Iruka snapped, he added, "or then again, you did seem to enjoy trying to help the nurses sedate me…" Recalling how he and Iruka had struggled, Kakashi felt a growing warmth in his loins. Though Iruka didn't look it, the young chuunin was extremely well built and knew exactly how to use that muscular form of his. Kakashi had wrestled with men, and women, who were stronger and more agile than the brunet, but there was something unique about Iruka. Then again, no one else had ever evoked such a surge of almost inhuman lust from him when they straddled his thighs and pinned his arms and legs to the floor. If it hadn't been for that unpredicted emotion, Kakashi would have been able to break Iruka's hold, but found himself so blindsided by it that it took all of his focus to keep himself from jerking his hips to brush his growing erection against those solid thighs that were holding him firmly to the ground.

"T-that…um…" Iruka couldn't think of an intelligent thing to say to Kakashi's lewd comment. The nurses and doctors who had been spectators to those few minutes of scuffling certainly thought there was something going on between the two shinobi, but Iruka had really no ulterior motives to holding Kakashi down other than to help the medical staff. The fact that he had happened to find the easiest way of pinning Kakashi down meant straddling him had never crossed the chuunin's conscious thoughts until he felt a sensation run through his belly, and much lower if truth be told, as he sat on top of Kakashi. Glancing over at Kakashi, Iruka could have sworn he had seen an emotion in the jounin's visible eye that could only be described as definitely sexual in nature. _Could Kakashi have struggled with me at the hospital just to get closer to me?…no, not even Kakashi is that cruel…_Iruka thought to himself as he let his eyes travel over the silver-haired man's form. The man was certainly not lacking physically in any area, though Iruka knew he would never admit that to anyone else, even under pain of torture.

Kakashi noticed that, despite Iruka's dark skin color, he could clearly see the chuunin's blush as Iruka bit his lower lip in embarrassment. A small part of the jounin could not help but cry 'kawaii' as he watched Iruka try to think of a plausible excuse that Kakashi, with his perverted mind, could not twist in order to get another adorable reaction out of the brunet. For a moment, Kakashi's mind went blank when he caught a glimpse of the barest of smiles grace Iruka's face. It definitely was not the smile Iruka gave before he snapped at some poor shinobi whose report didn't gain the perfectionist's approval. It was not the smile Kakashi had seen Iruka give to his pre-genin students, nor was it the smile when he was in the presence of that blonde pain. It was something that got Kakashi to involuntarily smile himself as he watched Iruka's soft, brown eyes focus on him.

Iruka had to begin biting his tongue to keep back a chuckle when he saw the slightly dumbfounded look on the jounin's face. No one, not even the Hokage or Naruto, was immune to Iruka's ever-rare Flirtatious Smile. Naruto had named it thus after demanding Iruka to tell him how he could get Ichiraku's owner to lower his bill with a mere look. In the blonde's words, it was a smile that 'would even make Ero-Sennin's mouth drop.' And, for a mere smile to have the potential of amazing Jiraiya-sama into a moment of un-perverted silence, it was certainly powerful enough to make Kakashi instantaneously wrapped around Iruka's finger. Continuing with his hastily put together plan that had formed as soon as they had left Ichiraku's, Iruka moved closer to Kakashi as they walked. He made sure that he was close enough to the jounin that Kakashi's long fingers brushed against his now and again, reminding the jounin near Iruka was. No one had yet proven to be immune to Iruka's proximity and, from the strangled sound Kakashi made the first time their hands touched, the jounin was no different.

Fighting himself to stop from snatching his hand away and making sure that he hadn't somehow burned himself, Kakashi braced himself for the next time his hand brushed against Iruka's, but still felt that sizzling warmth run up his arms from the spot where their fingers came in contact with one another. A part of Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if this strange burning sensation would still occur when making love to the chuunin. With that thought, Kakashi all but froze in the street, only moving when he saw that gentle, promising smile on the chuunin's face.

Never, in all of his years, had Kakashi ever called sex by any other name. It was simply pleasure between two people, not the all-encompassing emotional event that they made it out to be in his Icha Icha series. Even with Obito, the only person he had ever truly cared for, Kakashi had never thought of it as 'making love.' It was, of course, different than any other sexual experience he had had since, but he would not call it love.

Kakashi couldn't help but be possessed by similarly disturbing thoughts as he followed Iruka down another side street, only stopping when he finally registered that the chuunin was no longer next to him. Quickly shifting his gaze around, Kakashi caught a glimpse of the brunet standing in front of an unassuming door, hands in his pockets as he searched for something that, from the patting gestures Iruka was making, Kakashi assumed to be his key. For a moment, Iruka's antics reminded him so much of his blonde student that Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how he had never realized how close the two shinobi were. Backtracking towards the chuunin, Kakashi couldn't help but inwardly chuckle when he watched Iruka pull out of his back pocket a small ring of keys with a victorious smirk on his face.

Realizing how close Kakashi was, Iruka spun about and found himself bumping into Kakashi's chest. Before he even had a chance to look up, Iruka felt the jounin's fingers brush against his jaw, the touch being much more gently than he thought possible from the Copy Cat Nin. Involuntarily, Iruka tilted his head upwards and felt an even softer pressure against his lips. If it hadn't been for the texture of material that slowly came to mind, Iruka wouldn't have been able to explain what was happening to him – other than losing his mind. _K-Kakashi's kissing me!?_ Iruka would have been less surprised if Naruto had run by, bare as the day he was born, screaming that he would no longer eat ramen.

This kiss was not at all like the uncomfortable one Kakashi had given him this afternoon in his classroom. No, this one was full of passion that was only held in check by the thin piece of material separating them. If it hadn't been for the fact he knew about Kakashi's bet with Gai, Iruka would have done exactly what had first crossed his mind, which involved dragging the poor man into his apartment and not letting Kakashi leave for several days. Of course, Iruka had already decided on his course of action to get back at Kakashi, so, with a heavy sigh, he pulled away from the jounin. Mustering an apologetic look, Iruka looked up into Kakashi's eyes and found his willpower crumbling under Kakashi's passionate gaze. With a quick goodnight, Iruka fled into the safety of his apartment and locked the door before the last of his self-restraint left him.

"Good night Kakashi-sensei." As those few words began registering in Kakashi's muddled mind, he heard an audible _click_ of the door in front of him being latched from the inside. _What the…?_ Kakashi couldn't help but think as he took a shaky step backwards, his eyes unfocused as he replayed his momentary break with sanity. He had never, ever gone up to someone and kissed them as chastely as he had just done to the chuunin. Then again, he had never been one to beat around the bush. He had always stated his intentions immediately, but with Iruka, he was starting to feel the need to just be in the younger man's presence. That one, innocent kiss was, by far, the most arousing moment of Kakashi's life, though he had no idea _why_. Iruka had not touched him in any way, but Kakashi's body felt like it was on fire…like it had been that first time with Obito.

Before the last of his sanity slipped away, Kakashi turned away from the door and slowly began walking in no particular direction. _Making me feel like a teenager again…_Kakashi inwardly mumbled, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. He couldn't possibly walk around Konoha with this jittery feeling that had overcome him as soon as he had felt Iruka's lips return that soft pressure. Then again, he could always hope no one noticed the flush in his face or the unusual tightness of his pants. Visible eye twitching, Kakashi went in search of the closest bar while claiming to himself that someone had to have slipped something into his ramen.

In his apartment, Iruka couldn't help but chuckle softly as he leaned back against his door. _Mess with my emotions, will you, Kakashi?_ Iruka asked to himself as he smiled into the darkness of his quiet apartment. _I will just have to toy with you…_he added as he chuckled in a way anyone else would have described it as downright evil.

--

Authoress: forgive me for taking so long to write this chapter…I am in the process of applying to medical school (over a year early, I might add), so I'm a little busy…I will, however, be on breaks soon, so I will do my best to get out a few chapters to tide everyone over until I'm done with college for the semester!...and, please review and tell me how you think the story is developing…kukuku…I can't help but love Iruka in this story…he's so _devious_…kukuku…so, until next time, ja ne!!


	9. Chapter Eight

Authoress: kay, I'm back already with a new chapter…YOSH!!!...I love summer break…kukuku…

Disclaimer: …//sniffle// I don't own Naruto…but could you imagine the wonders I could do if I did?

**Chapter Eight**

Kakashi glared at his demonic students as the trio sparred. As far as the jounin could tell, Sasuke had the upper hand because neither of his teammates appeared to want to injure the raven-haired teen. Naruto's injuries from yesterday must have healed enough for Sakura, if her pummeling of the boy was any indication. The three had made no mention of Kakashi's date with Iruka last night, but every time he caught one of his student's gazes, he could see the mocking look and couldn't help but twitch as he recalled how his night had ended. That one innocent kiss had riled him in ways he never thought possible and even with a night filled with fitful sleep, he could still feel the warmth from the chuunin's skin on his lips. He could easily recall the wavering sound of Iruka's voice as the brunet bolted into his apartment.

Shifting in his seat on the tree branch, Kakashi focused his attention on Naruto. The boy had not treated him differently this morning when Kakashi had arrived to the meeting place over two hours late. If anything, Naruto was acting the most normal of all three and that was enough to make Kakashi wonder. It was as though nothing had happened – then again, it might have been that Naruto was preoccupied with openly flirting with the raven-haired teen who could only blush a soft pink in response. Kakashi had already shot a few candid pictures of their antics, just in case he needed to blackmail either teen later on, but he also had the feeling he should make copies for the bipolar chuunin. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi wondered what could have caused Iruka's sudden change last night. The brunet had acted like a shy teenager when Kakashi had kissed him. Whatever possessed the jounin to do such a thing, he had yet to figure out. He had to admit that Iruka was far from undesirable, but he had never _chastely_ kissed someone before let alone feel a wave of timidity when doing so.

"So how did your date go?" Kakashi nearly fell off his tree branch when he heard his nin-dog mere inches away from him. He hadn't even noticed Pakkun's presence, which made him glare at the small pug all the more as he covered his momentary spasm of surprise by shifting his body so he could look at the dog.

"Fine," Kakashi replied tersely as he shifted his gaze back towards his students. Watching them momentarily, he let out a sigh that told the pug that they would have to discuss Kakashi's date again later. From a quick glance, anyone could tell that Naruto would soon need his teacher's aid unless he wanted to visit the hospital. Apparently his newfound relationship with the Uchiha teen did not mean Sasuke would show him mercy in sparring.

"Are you two going out again?" Pakkun could not help but ask curiously as he eyed his master, ignoring Naruto's cries of pain as he tried to use Sakura as a shield. Kakashi pulled his gaze away from his students and glanced over at Pakkun with an expression that made Pakkun snicker. The small dog could tell from the wide-eyed look Kakashi gave him that the jounin had not even thought that far ahead. Chuckling to himself, Pakkun wondered if Kakashi had yet even realized that his whole plan to seduce someone in order to win his challenge with Gai had started unraveling the moment he picked the kind-hearted chuunin as his target. Pakkun doubted his master had even noticed that, over the years, he had forged something of a relationship with the brunet. Though their interactions could hardly be considered sweet, love-filled moments, Pakkun had never before seen Kakashi joke around with one person so much. Kakashi rarely, if ever, showed that trickster side of himself to anyone other than his closest friends; those few people in that category were those who Kakashi trusted with his life – Gai, Anko, Kurenai, Ibiki, and Asuma. For the jounin to smile beneath that mask of his when handing in reports, chuckling to himself as he dodged Iruka's well-aimed projectiles while fleeing the missions office, and otherwise act opposite of the stoic shinobi most people pictured the Copy Cat Nin to be certainly meant something. Those who knew Kakashi as more than just an enigma were well aware of his lazy, perverted character, as well as his ability to take the world's harsh realities with a laugh. What many did not know were that the majority of the man's reactions of amusement were faked simply because Kakashi did not want anyone to know his actual feelings – the laughter and smiles when in Iruka's presence, however, were always real. If Pakkun did not know his master was all but incapable of it, he would say that Kakashi's feelings for Iruka ran as deep as those for Obito. As that thought registered in his head, Pakkun could not help but wonder if he should stop reading Kakashi's smut-filled novels when he got bored on missions. Shaking such a romantic thought from his head, the small nin-dog observed his master as Kakashi went back to watching his team.

Sighing at his students' antics, Kakashi ignored Pakkun's question, not wanting to delve deeper into the strange feelings the bipolar chuunin was evoking in him. Of course, to win his bet with Gai, he would have to go out with Iruka again. There was also the possibility it might even take several dates to seduce the brunet to the point Kakashi would be considered the winner of their strange challenge. Strangely, he did not find the idea of going out on a number of dates with Iruka as torturous as he once had. He would not admit it to anyone, but his opinion of the brunet had started changing. Iruka was not just the anal, slightly obsessive-compulsive, and wholly bipolar chuunin Kakashi had always seen him as. He was an intelligent and humorous shinobi who deserved far more respect than most gave him because of his chuunin status. Having felt the younger man's body against his, Kakashi knew that he would not want to be attacked by the soft-spoken teacher. From his quick observations of the chuunin's muscular body, Kakashi could only assume Iruka could best him in a battle of physical strength. Recalling how it felt to press Iruka against his front door, letting his masked lips gingerly touch the brunet's as a hand roamed down the man's well-defined side and hip, Kakashi could not help but wonder what position Iruka would prefer. Clearly able to picture that tanned skin resting on top of his almost impossibly pale flesh, a strong hand lifting up his hip so he could fill the jounin completely, Kakashi had no doubt that Iruka would be the dominant one. Continuing momentarily with his steamy fantasy, Kakashi was able to imagine the heat between them, the taste of the chuunin's salty skin, and the feel of those muscles pressed firmly against him, tightening as the chuunin bent down, his warm breath coming in pants against the jounin's ear. Kakashi never thought that a few panted syllables could send him reeling, but that was all it took.

"_Kaka…shi…"_ That soft tone, accompanied by an even quieter whimper, sent the most delicious shiver down the jounin's back and Kakashi's imagination was thrown into overdrive as he tried to put words to how it felt to be enveloped in those strong arms that trembled ever so slightly as the chuunin powerfully thrust into him, filling Kakashi with his seed.

Pakkun watched his master in amazement – and a slight bit of sickened curiosity – as the jounin fell from his tree branch like a sack of potatoes and, without a single attempt to save himself, plummeted downwards. Pakkun chuckled as he watched the man land head first into the rocky ground. From the instantaneous silence that overcame the training grounds, Kakashi's students obviously saw his fall as well. It only took a moment for the three to come running, Naruto somehow reaching their teacher first and pulling his head out of the small crater Kakashi had created with his fall.

Seeing his master's face, Pakkun snorted and could not help but wish he had a camera so he could later blackmail the jounin. As a large lump began swelling on the top of his head, Kakashi looked around, still a bit dazed from his fall. Once Sakura reached the jounin, she began checking him for injuries. From years of training with the Hokage, Sakura knew exactly what had happened when she took the man's masked face between her hands and felt the sticky liquid that his mask was soaked with.

"Pervert!" she screeched as she quickly released her teacher's face, all concern for him vanishing as his head dropped back down, this time the back of his skull connecting with the ground with a resounding _crack_. Sakura then proceeded to vigorously wipe her blood-coated hands on Naruto, who was too stunned to move. Sasuke, on the other hand, could only twitch as he prodded their teacher with the toe of his shoe, discovering the man was still alive when Kakashi let out a soft moan.

Pakkun watched all of this with a smirk on his face, knowing exactly what his master must have been thinking to have such a massive nosebleed that resulted in two large and painful-looking lumps on his head and the violent eye-twitching of his three students. Oh, blackmailing Kakashi would be easy and it would most certainly be the sweetest vengeance Pakkun had ever tasted.

--

"Baka…" Naruto mumbled to himself as he passed an ice pack over to his moaning teacher, who proceeded to put the cold compress on his groin, which Sakura deemed to be her stomping ground after she had wiped all of his blood on Naruto's favorite jacket. Leaning his head back against the teen's blood-soaked jacket, which Naruto was kind enough to ball into a pillow for the injured jounin, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. His head was throbbing, his nose felt raw, and his groin hurt so badly, it had gone numb some time ago, but on the whole, Kakashi felt accomplished because he had finally gotten Sasuke to uncontrollably twitch as his face broke out into a very unflattering shade of crimson.

"Go grope your boyfriend," Kakashi retorted before moaning quietly. His comebacks were even suffering from his current condition. Cracking open his visible eye, he watched as Naruto went back to digging into his medical kit. Kakashi could only guess what the blonde was looking for, but his curiosity was satisfied when he saw Naruto pull out a bottle of painkillers. Kakashi silently prayed Naruto had been taught the proper dosing of medication by Sakura because, at the moment, he was in too much pain to count the number of pills the teen was handing him along with a bottle of water.

"Go grope yours," Naruto countered with a smirk. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's response. Just yesterday, the blonde was threatening him if he harmed a hair on the chuunin's head and now he was all but pushing Kakashi to continue his farce of a relationship with Iruka? Then again, Naruto did not know that his relationship with Iruka was a sham and Kakashi had no urge to enlighten the overprotective teen. Seeing his teacher's curiosity, Naruto added, "I know about your little kiss last night…"

"Nosy bastard," Kakashi mumbled as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the teen's jacket. Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's comment as he went back to repacking his medical kit.

"You are the one who kissed Iruka-sensei out in public," Naruto pointed out as he zipped the kit closed and then proceeded to stuff it into his backpack. He did not have to glance up to know that, underneath his dark mask, Kakashi's pale cheeks had turned a faint shade of pink. He had seen how Kakashi had blushed slightly after kissing Iruka last night thanks to a pair of binoculars Iruka had gotten him for his birthday a few years ago. It probably was not the perfect "first date" in Sasuke's mind, but it certainly was an entertaining one as they followed Iruka and Kakashi at a distance, surprised to discover not even their jounin sensei did not sense them. Then again, it looked like Kakashi was preoccupied with Iruka.

"It was in front of his door…not in public," Kakashi retorted quietly as he cracked open his eye to glare at his meddling student. "And what were you doing watching us?" he asked, wondering if only Naruto saw or if it was the entire WASABI group. If it was just his student, Kakashi could care less, but there was something unsettling about an entire team of ANBU, jounin, and other elite shinobi dedicated to protecting the virtue of a chuunin watching his every move when in the vicinity of said brunet.

"…" Naruto pouted, unsure how to answer. If he told Kakashi the truth, Kakashi would know about WASABI's scheme, but he could not lie because his teacher was a walking lie detector. That and Naruto had a hard time keeping a straight face when lying to someone. He opted to remain silent as he kept his gaze locked on his backpack, which was refusing to close without a great deal of force.

Kakashi glared at his student, starting to understand what it felt like to have no say in his own life. It was as though his students, Gai, and the rest of the entire village had some stake in his love life and, through their meddling, were pushing his relationship with Iruka. Narrowing his gaze, he observed his student, wondering if that could be possible. Would Naruto work with ruthless jounin in order to get the two shinobi together? Shaking his head at such a possibility, Kakashi closed his eye and rested his head back on his makeshift pillow. Kakashi could see his "friends", but Naruto was not a manipulative person. Relaxing, sure that Naruto had nothing to do with his relationship with Iruka, Kakashi drifted off into a drug-induced sleep.

As soon as his teacher closed his eye, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. It was hard enough to keep Iruka from finding out about WASABI, but it was just as difficult, if not more so, to stop Kakashi from discovering about his plans. Motioning that it was safe for his teammates to return, Naruto quickly got up and, with Sasuke's help and Sakura's monstrous strength, they lifted the tall man up and proceeded to walk back to the village in the direction of Iruka's apartment.

--

Iruka let out a sigh as he stretched back, raising his arms above his head. It was not often he got off from work at the Missions Office early, so he was already planning a night of relaxation where he did nothing more strenuous than prepare a bath and a light dinner. Smiling to himself, he already began plotting what he could do to torture Kakashi tomorrow. He had not heard from the jounin all day, which for some reason slightly annoyed him. Iruka ignored his instinctive response to Kakashi's uncaring behavior, not wanting to delve deeper into his feelings towards the jounin. He already knew that his emotions for the Copy Cat Nin already went far beyond those of friendship, but he did not want to be hurt by the silver-haired pervert if Kakashi's new interest in him was just a means to win his bet with Gai.

"Iruka-sensei!!!" Iruka winced when he recognized the voice as his favorite blonde. He loved Naruto to death, but he just wanted peace and quiet tonight. Glancing up and seeing the sight in front of his apartment door, Iruka cursed as he realized he would get no chance to relax.

Putting on a smile for the three teens, Iruka inwardly gritted his teeth as he realized the lump the three were awkwardly carrying was none other than their tall sensei. Seeing the large eggs on the jounin's head, Iruka could only imagine what had happened today during their practice. Rolling his eyes for a moment, he could only wonder how Kakashi remained to be a genius despite the alarming number of head injuries he had received in the past few days.

"Kakashi-sensei had a bit of a fall…" Naruto explained as he let go of their teacher so he could scratch the back of his head in his usual Naruto-like behavior. Iruka could only watch in dread as, without the support of Naruto's arms, Kakashi's upper half went slamming into the concrete beneath them. Wincing at the sound of Kakashi's head connecting with the ground, Iruka quickly moved to unlock his door before the three teens could further injure their unconscious teacher. He watched, shaking his head, as the three all but dragged their teacher into the apartment and threw him onto the couch.

"What happened?" Iruka asked in exasperation. He had the feeling most of the bruises on Kakashi's head were inflicted by his students, but there had to be some reason he needed their "help" in the first place.

"Kakashi fell out of a tree and landed on his head," Sasuke said softly, surprising Iruka into wide-eyed, mouth-gaping as the brunet slowly realized the Uchiha had said a full sentence without any prodding. Whatever Naruto had done in the past day, Iruka had to thank him for. It had taken years just to get Sasuke to string two or three words together and, even then, it was difficult to do so.

"Before he passed out, Kakashi begged us not to take him to the hospital again…" Sakura added. The way the conversation was playing out – how they were finishing each others' thoughts – gave Iruka the feeling that their statements were rehearsed, but that was absurd. Who would rehearse explaining why their teacher was currently unconscious on Iruka's couch with a number of head injuries?

Recalling the fight he had already had with Kakashi when taking him to the hospital for a head injury the other day, Iruka could understand why Kakashi's students had respected his plea. No one in their right mind would want to go through the ordeal of pinning Kakashi down long enough for someone to sedate him, let alone three newly promoted chuunin who were half Kakashi's size.

"Is it alright if Kakashi-sensei stays here tonight? We kind of don't know where he lives…" Naruto mumbled, giving Iruka the puppy eyes that the brunet had taught him years ago. Cursing the urge to teach Naruto all he knew about manipulating people, Iruka fell for the cute look and found himself nodding in agreement. "Sakura's family wouldn't let her bring home Kakashi-sensei…and Sasuke and I…well…" Iruka did not need to see the blushing look exchanged between the two teens for his mind to be filled with reasons why the two teens would not babysit their sensei for the night.

"I'll take care of Kakashi-sensei," Iruka found himself saying to the three teens, going against his gut feeling that he was being manipulated. He tried shaking the feeling that the three were plotting something; who on earth would plan on their teacher being injured? Or getting Iruka to take care of him for the night? Kakashi was unconscious and Iruka had no intentions of taking advantage of Kakashi, so what could the three possibly be hoping to happen? Quickly changing his train of thought before he came up with an answer to that question, Iruka gestured towards the kitchen. "Tea, anyone?" he offered, already knowing that no one would take up his offer. Raising an eyebrow at the look the three exchanged, not realizing that he was watching them suspiciously, Iruka tried to think of any plausible reason for their actions.

"We've got to be going, Iruka-sensei," Sakura said after a quick look to her teammates. With quick farewells, the three teens all but ran from his apartment, leaving Iruka with more questions than he wanted to answer. With one look to Kakashi, Iruka sighed and went to his room to make up his bed for the unconscious jounin. _Perhaps I can get that bath after putting Kakashi-sensei to bed…_

--

Once they were far from earshot of the chuunin's apartment, Sakura stopped walking and, glancing around, discovered there was no one in sight. "Those sleeping pills worked really fast," Naruto said with a smile. Kakashi had been in so much pain, he had not cared to look at the pills, much less read the small etched words in them…just as they had planned. "And Kakashi-sensei didn't notice the compresses were soaked in that drug you gave me…" he added, smiling at the kunoichi. Sakura had told him earlier that the clear liquid would easily be absorbed into their teacher's skin as well as that the sleeping pills she had put in the bottle for painkillers would have been powerful enough to knock out a charging elephant.

"_Soak?!"_ Sakura squeaked as she slowly turned to look at Naruto with a horrified expression, her eyes widening as she saw the blonde nod proudly. A sense of dread filled the kunoichi as she quickly glanced over at Sasuke, whose expression mirrored hers. "What _exactly_ did you do, Naruto?"

"I poured the liquid in those bottles on the compresses, just like you said…" Naruto replied, his words slowly coming to a halt as he saw Sakura's face drain of all color. "That's what you told me…"

"I said to dilute those bottles…_one_ bottle to _one_ gallon of water…and then fill the bottles back up…and just use one bottle's worth on Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura whispered, glancing down at the blonde's hands, which were rummaging in his pockets. Seeing his hands reappear with ten tiny bottles, all of which sounded quite empty as he dropped them into her shaking hand, Sakura sucked in a sharp intake of air. "Naruto…" she moaned quietly as she glanced over at Sasuke, who was already doing out the calculations, his eyes widening as he realized how much of an overdose they had just given their sensei.

"At least, with those bruises you gave Kakashi-sensei, he can't do anything…" Naruto said, smiling nervously. Despite his positive outlook on the situation, Naruto still felt a shiver run down his back as his teammates turned to look at him with varying degrees of disbelief and anger.

"You idiot…" Sakura said quietly, balling her hands into fists as she started taking a step towards Naruto, who was already backing away in fear. "I don't think Kakashi will care about bruises when he wakes up to find out you just gave him over _a hundred_ times the maximum dose of the strongest aphrodisiac on the black market!!!"

Impressed that Sakura had not started yelling yet, Naruto made the mistake of pausing for a moment in his retreat. When he realized his momentary lapse in self-preservation, Naruto saw his life flash before his eyes. Squeaking, Naruto spun around and ran as though his life depended on it, which, at the moment, he was sure it did. If Sakura did not catch and kill him first, once Kakashi woke up and got over being drugged to such an extent, the jounin would certainly murder him. Knowing Kakashi, the jounin would take his time and torture Naruto first, while Sakura would certainly make it a swift death. Weighing his options, Naruto could only pray Iruka would love him enough to protect him from Kakashi when the jounin woke up as he continued running through the village, screaming for Sakura's forgiveness.

To any bystander, it was normal to see Naruto fleeing Sakura's murderous intent, so they simply stepped to the side and watched as the teens flew by, unaware that a jounin on the other side of the village was starting to stir.

--

Authoress: //dies laughing// oh my…I can't wait to see what Kakashi does when he fully wakes up…//snorts// I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter…and I'm so sorry for the lateness in updating…I've been so busy with getting applications in for school, for work, etc., that I've put my stories to the side…that won't happen again!!! I promise that I will do my best to finish this story by the end of the summer!!! YOOOOSH!!! So, please review so I know how far our very, very, VERY horny Kakashi should go next chapter when he wakes up…poor Iruka should have rethought that hot bath…kukuku…until next chapter, ja ne!!


	10. Chapter Nine

Authoress: Yosh! I'm back again with a new chapter!!! And a big thanks to LostHope-kun for doing such a wonderful job beta-ing!!! And for doing it so quickly!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…I can only wish…

**Chapter Nine**

Taking a deep breath as he craned his head back, Iruka reveled in the sensation of hot water running down his face. No one other than Naruto knew that he had the mindset "the hotter, the better" when it came to his showers and, even then, the blonde only knew because of several memorable bathroom incidents when Naruto was younger. Because of his own lonely childhood, Iruka had no idea how to raise a child, so he had taken up reading every parenting book he could get his hands on as soon as the blonde, figuratively speaking, was left on his doorstep. He had quickly found out, amidst lessons on how to feed and sooth a cranky newborn that he had to be careful of the bath temperature, so he had to all but attach a thermometer to the tub to check the water. He always thought the recommended water temperature was a tad chilly for a child, but he learned otherwise when, as soon as the boy was old enough to start talking, he made the water what he considered to be comfortable. He thought that, if Naruto thought the water was too hot, he would be able to tell Iruka so. He had never before – and never since – heard such a high pitched sound come out of the blonde as soon as he set Naruto down in the water. That day was also when Iruka learned that his favorite blonde had been listening to him when the teacher went on his mumbled, cursing streaks, picking up very interesting terms and phrases that – at the time – were ones Iruka could only hope Naruto didn't fully understand.

Smiling to himself, Iruka recalled what he had to put in Naruto's baby book where it said "My First Words." Before that bath, all Naruto did was coo and babble nonsensically, but he had definitely gotten the hang of speaking with one quick dip in the water. Iruka let out a soft chuckle as he recalled the several interesting sexual innuendos forever chronicled in that sky blue book – all of them mixtures of phrases Iruka had said at one time or another in a moment of frustration. Many of Naruto's loud exclamations were anatomically impossible – or so Iruka hoped – but that didn't stop Naruto from making them the _only_ words he spoke until he was nearly five years old. That whole time, every statement that came out of the blonde's mouth was one that would have made even a sailor blush. It seemed almost impossible that a toddler with beautiful blue eyes could say such things – and force his caretaker to learn what his phrases meant. Iruka quickly picked up what Naruto wanted because, as he discovered, nothing was more mortifying than being out in public and having Naruto begin singing what he and the blonde had since named the "Fuck a Duck" song. Whereas normal children would simply do the pee-pee dance, Naruto created a whole song about bestiality and would sing as loud and as off-key as possible until Iruka took him to the restroom.

Chuckling softly as he quietly hummed the catchy tune to himself, Iruka had to wonder if he should be so amused by Naruto's high-pitched cursing as a child, especially when he saw how other parents looked at him whenever he and the little blonde were in public. Nowadays, he and Naruto looked back at those years and laughingly wondered how they survived for so long relying on each other. Iruka may have been the one to learn, through a great deal of trial and error, how to be both mother and father to the blonde, but it was Naruto who gave the brunet a reason to get up every morning.

Running his fingers through already soaked hair, Iruka wondered how Naruto would have turned out if he had had a more stable family – if he had been raised by someone who knew what the hell they were doing. The boy probably would have been able to truthfully say his first words were "Mommy," "Daddy," or "ramen," instead of "fuck me in the ass with a blender."

Letting out a sigh, Iruka leaned forward and rested his forehead against the warm tile. Over the years, he had thought less and less about how horrible of a parent he had been. Instead, he looked at Naruto with fatherly pride as the boy grew into an amazing shinobi. A part of Iruka had to smirk, however, whenever he saw how much he had rubbed off on the boy. Naruto had that same trickster quality, the same smile that brightened any room, and the same ability to laugh no matter what was happening around him. Of course, that prankster side of the boy was one that always made Iruka suspicious – and quite nervous.

Taking a deep breath of humid air, Iruka pushed all thoughts of his beloved son out of his mind. He had yet to think of a reason why there was an unconscious jounin sleeping in his room and why the man's three students had been acting strangely when they dropped him off. Usually showers cleared his mind, but ever since he stepped under the stream of hot water, he had only been becoming more and more confused.

Despite knowing of Kakashi and Gai's little bet, Iruka could not help but wonder whether or not Kakashi was pretending to like him. The jounin had involuntarily shown the brunet a side of himself that, not even in his wildest dreams, would Iruka have thought possible. He was so kind when he thought no one was looking, but at the same time, he was a complete idiot. How many jounin – how many ANBU members – would give themselves a cracked skull and concussion while trying to boil water? Then again, how many jounin of Kakashi's standing would be as skittish as a deer when it came to being alone with one chuunin teacher?

Smiling to himself, Iruka recalled how Kakashi had looked at him when he thought Iruka was not paying attention, or how he had brushed his lips against Iruka's so gently, Iruka had to wonder if he was being kissed at all. He had always thought that if Kakashi ever kissed him – hey, a man is allowed to dream! – the jounin would be firm, demanding, and, above all, dominating with the sexual energy he just barely contained. Kakashi's small fan club spread the idea that Kakashi was an absolute beast (in a good way), though few people outside the club saw the man as sexy. Iruka had to bite his lower lip as he recalled some of his more explicit dreams over the years concerning the enigmatic jounin. He had always believed he would not walk away from a kiss with the man – limp, perhaps, but he would certainly have never thought he would have had the willpower to leave Kakashi after such a sweet, gentle kiss. _Stupid, stupid…_Iruka berated himself, wondering what he had been thinking when he put together his plan to show the jounin what it felt like to have his emotions toyed with for the sake of a bet…a bet with Gai no less!!

_How the hell am I supposed to seduce him?_ Iruka wondered for the umpteenth time since locking the door between the jounin and himself last night and hastily thinking of his next step in his plot for revenge. He had had a few dates over the years – but few had ever ended in a kiss as heart-stopping as last night's. Hell, no relationship he had ever had had progressed enough for Iruka to try his hand at intercourse. He had never had a second date before; he had never actually had anyone in his apartment other than the unconscious jounin – at least, no one else who he had any romantic interest in.

How in the name of holy ramen did he expect to torment Kakashi, the second most perverse person in Konoha?! Dropping his head even lower, Iruka realized that he probably would have had a better chance seducing the most perverted shinobi to exist, and that was simply because the novelist had a thing for long hair and dark skin (or so Iruka had heard from Naruto). Shivering at the thought of having Jiraiya's hands on him, Iruka began feeling slightly better about his trickery. At least with Kakashi, he would be able to have the jounin touch him without flinching in disgust. He could only wonder why Kakashi picked _him_ of all people for his challenge with Gai.

He wouldn't put it past the two men putting names into a hat and picking their so-called 'soul mates' at random, but Iruka had the feeling there was something more to it. Was there some way the silver-haired jounin knew about Iruka's pitiful crush? The chuunin had done everything to keep his feelings for the man a secret over the years. Short of ignoring those emotions completely, there was little else he could do. But he knew there was no way he could ignore the pounding of his heart whenever the mysterious jounin entered the room or how his face warmed up when Kakashi flashed him one of those smiles with his one visible eye. Berating himself yet again for his foolish behavior and feelings, Iruka pushed himself off the shower side and quickly turned off the scalding water before even he was no longer able to stand the heat.

Slipping out of the shower without making a sound, Iruka was quick to pull a towel around his waist. Despite the fact he was in his own house, even when alone, he was always aware there was a chance his favorite blonde could come barging in at any moment. Since he never wanted to hear about how he made Naruto's eyes burn again – or how he had destroyed the boy's poor virgin mind – it had become second nature to cover himself up as quickly as possible whether or not the blonde was even in the village. He would not put it past Naruto to somehow transport himself into the bathroom in that split second Iruka was completely nude. The boy always had a horrible sense of timing.

Wiping the condensation off of the large bathroom mirror, Iruka found himself looking at his image with a raised eyebrow. Could he dare to hope that Kakashi picked him because he was in some way attracted to him? He had never thought about himself as handsome, but he had to admit that his bronze skin gave him an exotic look that he could only hope the jouin jounin appreciated. Iruka gazed at his muscular frame, noticing how the glistening beads of moisture on his skin seemed to enhance the definition he already knew was there. Running a hand through his hair, Iruka studied his face. He never before believed Naruto when the boy said he looked better with his hair down, but looking at his reflection, he could see that the blonde might be right. With his hair up, Naruto said he looked stern and years older than he actually was.

Looking at the fuzzy image of himself, Iruka was surprised to see a young man staring back at him. It had become reflex over the years to put his hair up as soon as he got out of the shower and rarely, if ever, taking it down out of the tight ponytail because it was so much easier to just leave it up. Years ago, he had started to tie his hair back on a daily basis because Naruto had developed a tendency to pull hard on the chuunin's hair if it was within reach. Then, as soon as he got a good fistful, the sweet little blonde proceeded to suck on Iruka's hair until it resembled a bird nest and the brunet had no other choice than to cut the knot out of his hair. Within a few days, Iruka had begun to resemble a mad scientist with his hair sticking up in every direction. The differing lengths of his hair made it even worse because some areas were so short, it looked like he was balding, while the longer sections frizzed out like he had been electrocuted. All it had taken for Iruka to adopt his current hairstyle was almost half the village constantly asking "what happened to your hair, Iruka-kun?!"

Raking his hair down so that it framed his face in a completely unfamiliar style that gave him years back and also a surprisingly sexual air, Iruka looked at himself appreciatively. Almost slapping himself for admiring his reflection, Iruka stepped away from the mirror. Now, if only Kakashi could see underneath the strict teacher everyone saw him as. As he closed his eyes, Iruka had to remind himself that, if Kakashi didn't die of surprise at seeing the chuunin like this, then Iruka would admit defeat.

Taking a deep breath in hopes of steadying his shaky hands, the chuunin readjusted the towel around his waist, letting it slide down his muscular frame. Coming to rest low on him, the towel slipped down on one side to reveal a chiseled hip and proof that the chuunin's skin tone was natural – or that he tanned in the nude. Naruto was the only person to know for certain he had no tan line, but not even the blonde knew the reason for that. Whenever Naruto asked, Iruka just gave him a raised eyebrow that sent the blonde into violent twitches as he pictured his guardian outdoors in the buff.

Letting out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in, Iruka tried to squash the feeling that he was doing something horribly wrong and that he would pay for it in the end. As he steeled his features into a face of calm, Iruka made his way towards his bedroom in the hopes Kakashi would happen to wake up at the appropriate time – hopefully when that precariously tied towel slipped completely off and Iruka could fake an innocent, but at the same time seductive, blush that would rival that of Naruto's best Sexy no Jutsu. Now, he could only hope Kakashi, much like his novelist idol, preferred tan skin because he was about to see a great deal of it.

--

Kakashi slowly came into consciousness, immediately noticing that he was not in his own bedroom, but he was most definitely in a bed. Momentarily wondering how much he had drank the night before – finding this situation similar to a few other times he ended up in a stranger's bed – but he was surprised that he didn't remember going drinking. Recalling his three demon students and his evil dog, however, got the jounin to slowly understand what exactly had happened.

_I passed out?_ The jounin wondered, thinking that he had one too many head injuries in the past few days if he was starting to black out at the most inopportune times – and having his injuries tended to by Naruto was certainly not the best time to slip into unconsciousness. Even though his eyes were still closed, his eyes narrowed as he recalled those odd-tasting pills Naruto had given him and how, almost as soon as the taste registered in his mind, he had started feeling extremely groggy.

_Little bastard drugged me…_Had Kakashi not promised the Third he would never kill his own students (which he thought was a little strange at the time), he would seriously be considering ways to dispose of the almost indestructible teen's body. For a moment, he paused, wondering how exactly he would go about killing Naruto – injuries that would most certainly kill anyone else, Naruto easily bounced back from. He had the feeling not even being beheaded would stop that idiot. The more he thought about it, Kakashi had to wonder if Naruto even needed a brain, since it was obvious to anyone that the boy hardly ever used it.

Taking a deep breath in hopes of getting rid of the thought that it would be _so_ easy to rid himself of those three demons if he could just figure out how to kill Naruto, Kakashi finally opened his eyes. As he quickly surveyed the room, he found himself wondering what he had done to deserve this hell. Wishing he had been more religious in his lifetime, Kakashi had to wonder if he had died from a mixture of his head injuries and Naruto medicating him and, for all his evil acts, was being punished for all time. The other option – that he was in the blonde's room – was far worse than eternal damnation.

Feeling a serious migraine coming on, Kakashi gave the poster in front of him a death glare. Where the hell did Naruto even _get_ a ramen poster!? They couldn't possibly be in high demand, so Kakashi wondered if the boy had gotten the poster in front of him – and the several others surrounding him – specially made. Knowing the hyperactive ramen junkie, Kakashi wouldn't put it past him. Studying the poster momentarily, the jounin swore Naruto slipped him some black market drugs and not simple sleeping pills like he had been hoping. Was it just him, or did the poster's bowl of ramen with chopsticks precariously placed on the rim look sexy?

Sure now that he had finally lost it because of those three monsters he called his students, Kakashi blinked several times before focusing his gaze back on the poster, but still found himself becoming aroused at the sight of the noodles. Whatever Naruto gave him, there was a reason it was illegal, Kakashi decided as he rubbed his face, hoping to get rid of the image of the ramen – and the several pleasurable uses for it that he thought of in his moments of insanity.

Hearing a soft sound from outside the room, Kakashi's gaze was torn from his bowl of ramen – wait, _his_ bowl?! – and he watched as the door was slowly opening inwards. Whatever little bit of sanity that Kakashi had been clinging to as he fantasized about pork ramen was quickly lost – as were his last few brain cells – when he saw that the person entering the room was definitely not his blonde student. For a moment, Kakashi had to wonder if he had woken up at all or if this was a drug-induced fantasy brought on by severe head trauma, lack of sleep, and years of having to listen to Naruto's ramen songs, Sakura's high-pitched screeching, and Sasuke's grumbling. Otherwise, he was just losing his mind or had awoken in a parallel universe where ramen was a sex toy and God listened to Kakashi's prayers.

He had never before seen such a breathtaking creature in his life and, as the tanned man walked into the room, oblivious that Kakashi was awake and watching him, the Copy Cat Nin found himself wondering where he had been all Kakashi's life. Bordering on outright staring, Kakashi studied the young man, wondering who the hell the man was and why the _hell_ he was in a very loosely tied towel. And, while he was at it, the jounin wanted to know why there were sexy posters of ramen surrounding him!

Studying the tan brunet, Kakashi corrected his earlier opinion of his level of insanity. As the muscular god brought a hand up to brush long hair behind an ear, revealing his familiar face, Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. _Iruka?!_ Before that moment of recognition, Kakashi never believed it was possible to squeak in your thoughts. The realization that the uptight teacher was the same person as this dark-skinned beauty made Kakashi's jaw drop as he continued to stare openly at the chuunin.

If his mouth had dropped open when he recognized Iruka, it fell to the floor as the brunet's towel did the same, revealing a look at the chuunin's body that Kakashi was sure few people ever were lucky enough to experience. If anyone else saw that sex god in the buff, they would never let the man leave their sight, much less their bedroom.

Watching, unable to even do anything other than stare at that rock solid body, Kakashi felt his heart begin pounding and his entire body become flushed. Never before had anyone's presence had such a reaction on him; then again, few people were bold enough to walk around in the nude with the supposedly unconscious jounin on their bed. Even fewer people had such a perfect body that got a part of the silver-haired pervert to whine in jealousy – and damned if Kakashi wasn't even further turned on by the thought of licking ramen off that defined chest. Almost as though the chuunin had heard Kakashi's newfound love for noodles, he turned towards the bed and his gaze finally landed on the jounin's one visible eye.

"Oh…" Iruka all but squeaked as his dark eyes widened, his face erupting in the brightest red Kakashi had ever seen. The jounin felt his own face warm in response, surprised to find that he was, if possible, even more attracted to the chuunin when he saw the embarrassment on the teacher's face.

_Gai…you sick bastard…I'm going to thank you one day for this…_Kakashi thought to himself as he slid off of the bed and made his way towards the teacher, who was desperately trying to retie the towel around his waist. As he reached the younger man, Kakashi smirked and let his eyes graze over muscles that Iruka had somehow hidden under his uniform for far too long. Had he known that the brunet was a walking wet dream, Kakashi would have been a bit more eager in agreeing to Gai's bet. If anything, he should be paying the spandex-loving idiot for thinking up such a challenge.

Lifting a hand to gingerly run his fingertips down the back of the chuunin's arm, the jounin smirked as Iruka shivered at the touch and let out the softest of gasps. From that one little touch, Kakashi realized Iruka was not simply walking around in the nude, but that he must have just gotten out of a hot shower if the heat coming off of his dark skin, along with the beads of moisture sliding down his frame, were any indications. In the jounin's perverse mind, he could only wonder what he would have done had that liquid leaving trails down the chuunin's delicious abdomen had been ramen broth. Chuckling to himself, Kakashi knew he would start at the teacher's broad shoulders and work his way down until every inch of the man's skin was sufficiently licked clean.

Kakashi found that thought far more stimulating than his best sexual encounters and, as the warmth in his lower body pooled to an almost unendurable pleasure, the jounin's visible eye widened as he recognized the rapidly escalating sensations that made his very skin seem as though it was on fire.

The squeaked 'excuse me' had not even registered in Iruka's mind before Kakashi bolted, leaving the chuunin to scratch the back of his head, wondering what had just happened. He thought he was doing a particularly good job in keeping himself from racing from the room in mortification, while still having the sense to bite his tongue and not scream as he tried to cover himself back up – but then what the hell just happened to get the jounin to disappear?!

_Could he have just…? _Iruka's eyes widened as he thought of a possibility for Kakashi's quick retreat. Perhaps he was doing _too _good of a job in his mission to tease Kakashi? But what kind of pervert would Kakashi be if he got so excited so easily? All he had done was touch Iruka for a split second and, even then, that touch was barely enough to get the chuunin's body to erupt in goose bumps. Glancing down at his exposed lower body – exposed because his towel refused to cooperate as long as Kakashi had been in the room (and his trembling hands had nothing to do with it!) – Iruka corrected his previous thought. Goose bumps were not the only things that had risen by that one seemingly innocent touch.

Wondering if he would have the time and privacy to fix his growing problem, Iruka was about to move to close his bedroom door, but froze when he heard what he knew for certain was the jounin's voice coming from the direction of his bathroom. Momentarily surprised that he and Naruto were not the only ones who cursed like drunken sailors, Iruka was only left to wonder why Kakashi was damning Naruto and ramen in the same breath as he let out almost inaudible groans that made Iruka's body shiver in indescribable pleasure.

_Could he be…no…_Iruka shook such thoughts from his head, but he could not help but wish that the thought of Kakashi touching himself mere feet away was true. His entire lower body warmed in response to the image he pictured as he quickly moved to lock his door. Little did the chuunin know that he was very close to the truth – too bad for Kakashi, touching was not even necessary as he tried to drown himself in freezing water while simultaneously wondering if Naruto had, for no reason other than the brat wanted to him to die, slipped him aphrodisiacs. Such stimulating drugs would certainly explain the seemingly endless parade of orgasms that were brought on by nothing more than an idea concerning ramen, a mental image of Iruka's perfect body, or thoughts on how to kill Naruto when he was finally able to stand up again.

--

Authoress: kuku…you all thought there was going to be mind-blowing-ly wonderful lemonage with Kakashi that horny, eh? You got to give Kakashi some credit, though…he didn't throw Iruka to the ground and make sure our favorite chuunin wouldn't walk for a month…I was thinking about it, though…so, please review so I know what to plan for these two next time!!!


	11. Chapter Ten

Authoress: I'm baaaaaack!! YOSH!! I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to Alstarryn-chan and the newest member of our beta team, B.Z.-chan, for doing such an amazing job betaing this chapter!!! On to the story!

Disclaimer: I wish…If I owned Naruto, it would be one amazing Yaoi series, not that it isn't already, but there would be a great deal of yummy bits if I owned it…

**Chapter Ten**

Iruka let out a soft huff of air as he glanced over at the clock in the kitchen for the nine hundred and seventy sixth time – and, yes, he was still counting damn it – only to realize it was 5:30 in the morning. Surprised momentarily at the early morning hour, despite the fact he had no urge to go to sleep at any point throughout the night, Iruka could only wonder if his so-called visitor had died.

He hadn't seen Kakashi in nearly eight hours since the the man's last attempt at polite conversation, but he knew the jounin was still barricading himself in the bathroom on the other side of the apartment. Last time, the jounin had meandered into the kitchen with a 'maa' and not at all referencing his last ten hours in the shower or the slight chatter of his teeth as he spoke.

The considerate part of the chuunin was about to ask if Kakashi was alright – he really didn't want to have to deal with a hypothermic, horny jounin when he still had to go to work in the morning – but he never got the chance. That brief moment of sanity on Kakashi's part had quickly disappeared when Iruka asked if the jounin was hungry; he couldn't imagine anyone _not_ wanting something hot to eat after such a long, cold shower. His question had been met by widening eyes, before the jounin had flown back into the bathroom without another word. _I just asked if he wanted some ramen, since I didn't feel like cooking a big meal that late at night…_Iruka thought to himself with a sigh. _Some people just don't appreciate good noodles…_

His question on whether or not Kakashi was still alive was quickly answered when he heard the shower being turned off for a second time. A part of the chuunin could not help but wonder if Kakashi had finally run out of cold water – he had a feeling there would be drought-like effects throughout the village because of that marathon shower.

Resting his elbows on the counter as he leaned forwards, Iruka's mouth nearly gaped open when he slowly came to realize that it had taken the jounin almost an entire day in order to calm himself down after simply touching the chuunin for a mere moment. In the off-chance his half-assed plan worked, Iruka sent up a small prayer of forgiveness to his behind because he was sure that, after a night with the jounin, he certainly wouldn't be sitting down for months. A part of the chuunin had to point out: _Forget months, you will never sit again if that man is always like this!!_ Slowly beginning to feel the effects of a sleepless night, another side of the chuunin argued back. _But what if he's uke?_

Iruka froze at that thought, wondering if a jounin as powerful as Kakashi would prefer to be on top or bottom. The man was extremely strong, but Iruka knew that couldn't be the only deciding factor, since the chuunin was confident he was physically stronger than that silver-haired pervert. Kakashi was handsome, but had an almost feminine quality to his features – so did that make him uke? Feeling a headache coming on, Iruka tried to force such thoughts from his mind, but his sudden split with reality, and the resulting multiple personalities, had other plans in store for the poor teacher.

_Maybe the reason it took him so long to calm down was because there was no penetration! Get in there, be a good host and help the man out!!_ This newfound part of the teacher was surprisingly perverse, considering the chuunin's normally wholesome nature. Iruka, if he had to describe the image that first came to mind to go along with the voice in his head, would have to say the creature accompanying such a voice was a smaller version of himself, complete with a suspicious grin and devilish horns... and he had a sinking feeling that the little monster would hump anything that stayed still long enough.

_That's if he's uke…_ a more sensible side of the chuunin had to point out. This side of the chuunin, unlike its horny companion, Iruka could clearly picture as a small replica of himself wearing thick-rimmed glasses and walking around with several books tucked under one arm. It was a small comfort to know that, even when losing his sanity, a part of him was still a geek.

_Maybe he's flexible…go throw him against a wall and take him! See how he reacts! _

_Do you really want to try raping a jounin?!_ Iruka had to agree with the more sensible of the two voices. He could only imagine the kind of beating – or death – he would receive for even attempting such a thing…not that he was seriously considering the other voice's idea.

_I'd be raping a horribly horny pervert…I doubt he'd complain…wait…it's not rape if he agrees…and he didn't seemed opposed to us when we had that towel malfunction…_ At this, Iruka froze before he broke down and nodded his head in agreement. It was one thing to side with the sensible voice in his head, but to agree, even for a moment, with a perverse side of himself that he'd never before known he had, was another thing entirely.

_True…_ Iruka saw the gears slowly turning in the miniature brunet's head as he considered that ridiculous possibility. The teacher could almost see his last shred of sanity quickly fluttering away as he imagined the two arguing sides of himself looking to him with an evil glimmer in their eyes. In unison, the two screeched: _GET IN THERE AND TAKE HIM, IRUKA!!!_

Dropping his head down into his hands, Iruka wondered if raising Naruto had finally made him lose his mind. He doubted there was anyone else in the village that could cause such a break with sanity without even being nearby. Then again, he did have a few problems when he didn't get a good night's sleep. Usually when he was tired, he became extremely cranky, snapping very easily at his students and other shinobi – giving rise to the rumor that he was bipolar – but he had never before pulled an all-nighter. He could only hope that hearing multiple voices in his head was a normal result of sleep deprivation. Either that or he was just losing his mind. Letting out a soft sigh, the chuunin pushed himself off of the counter, but found himself frozen in place when his eyes landed on the other side of the kitchen. Now assuring himself that he had completely lost it due to a sleepless night, he could only stare at the door to the kitchen, where a delectable jounin was leaning against the doorway, clad in nothing but his ever-present mask and a white towel that was riding low on his narrow hips. Iruka, much like his internal counterparts, had lost the ability to say anything for a moment, as all three simply stared at the beautiful image before them.

_Now that is a fuckable jounin…look, you didn't even have to go find him!_

_Screw fuckable…he is sex incarnate…_

_Now, if only he had a wardrobe malfunction like us…oooh, could you imagine!? _

Every part of the chuunin lost the ability to form a coherent thought at the image that idea produced. The inability to think, however, did not stop him from watching the taller man push himself away from the wall – his towel still, sadly, in place – as his muscles bunched together in a sinewy grace that had the two Iruka had quickly dubbed the Inner Irukas drooling. Almost as soon as he stood up straight, the jounin raked soaked hair away from his face, his well-defined frame rippling at the smallest of movements. Opening his natural eye, the jounin gave Iruka a look that sent the more perverse of the Inner Irukas into a mind-blowing nosebleed that threw him back several feet. The remaining voice in his head could only swallow heavily as he went to check that his companion was still alive.

"Maa…I hope you approve, Iruka-_sensei_…" Iruka almost followed the perverse side of his mind when he heard the honorific roll off the jounin's tongue, his voice deep sounding positively seductive as he took a step closer to the brunet. Never before had _anyone _spoken to him in such a tone, and the chuunin could only inwardly cry at the unfairness of life. He'd had to wait over twenty years to hear such a voice! Recalling exactly what Kakashi had said, Iruka felt his face erupt in a vibrant shade of crimson as he realized he must have been staring and, if the slight ache in his jaw was any indication, his mouth had been hanging open for some time.

The teacher wasn't sure if it was him, or the more logical of the Inner Irukas, but one of them let out a soft eep as the jounin took a few steps towards him, revealing that he had an amazingly lengthy stride, but Iruka knew he shouldn't be amazed, considering how long those lean, pale legs were. Within the blink of an eye, Kakashi was before him, towering over the shorter shinobi.

_Hubba hubba!_ Apparently the perverse Inner Iruka had been revived by the sheer number of sexual thoughts Iruka was unable to suppress as he craned his head back to look up at the jounin, his eyes grazing over the man's lean torso and thin, almost delicate, neck that was covered by a tight strip of black material. Being this close, Iruka could see the outline of a narrow jaw line and the shape of a long, but well-proportioned nose otherwise hidden beneath the mask. As his gaze traveled upwards, Iruka found his eyes coming to rest on the jounin's unnatural eye, the red orb focusing entirely on him. Tilting his head back as far as he could, Iruka unconsciously backed up when he realized how close the jounin was and that, for some unknown reason, the tall man was leaning forwards. He could feel the warm breath against his forehead and, for a moment, Iruka had forgotten that he himself had to breathe when those warm puffs of air shifted down to his lips.

Iruka inwardly winced at the high-pitched mental squeals his two new _friends_ let out as they realized the jounin must be getting ready to kiss him. For the briefest of moments, the chuunin couldn't help but wonder how a kiss would affect Kakashi if touching his shoulder had started the last eighteen hours of cold showers. Closing his eyes involuntarily as the jounin's nose gently brushed against his, his lips a mere hairsbreadth from the chuunin's, Iruka waited to be kissed in the same fashion as the other night, but the sweet, chaste kiss never came. Instead, what happened next made the chuunin nearly fall over in disbelief.

Whereas the other night, he could feel the material of the jounin's mask touch his lips, Iruka felt no such barrier between them now. Instead of the slightly scratchy material, the only thing that touched Iruka's lips now was indescribably soft skin. Unconsciously taking a step backwards, Iruka bumped into the counter and he flailed his arms outwards in an attempt to keep himself from falling over out of a mixture of imbalance and surprise. Whatever little bit of intelligent thought that remained in the chuunin's head quickly disappeared when he felt strong hands and long fingers grip his sides, steadying him before he made a fool of himself.

One of those impossibly gentle hands left his side, fingertips brushing against his chest as the jounin's hand traveled up. Wherever those pale fingers touched, despite the thick material of Iruka's shirt, the chuunin's skin erupted in a searing heat that made him shiver uncontrollably as his body leaned into the touch. That bare hand finally came to rest on his muscular neck, graceful fingers wrapping around to the back of his neck while a masterfully placed thumb caught Iruka under the jaw, forcing the chuunin to tilt his head back as the jounin leaned in, increasing the pressure between their locked lips.

Iruka squeaked softly when he felt a new softness against his lips, but the sound was muffled by the jounin as the older man began to slowly trace the chuunin's lips with a wet tongue. Taking a shaky breath, the chuunin released his death grip on the counter, raising one hand to weave his fingers into the jounin's hair. He could feel the dampness from the man's long shower, but the chuunin could also tell that, when dry, the man's hair would be impossibly soft and far silkier than his mussed hairstyle led people to believe. Tightening his hold on the jounin's scalp, Iruka opened his mouth, letting his tongue dart out and return that wonderful pressure.

For a moment, Iruka swore he heard the jounin curse, before he was all but thrown against the counter, pinned against the edge by the pervert's lean hips and one strong arm. He was not even given a chance to protest before Kakashi forced his mouth wide open, his masterful tongue slipping into the chuunin's mouth and tracing every inch of that warm cavern, swallowing the brunet's whimpers as he ravished the teacher's mouth in ways Iruka had never before imagined.

He'd had a few impassioned kisses in his lifetime, but Iruka had never before had his very breath stolen as he had to stop himself from begging the jounin for more of that delicious pressure. All the chuunin could do was tighten his grip on the tall man's hair, standing up on the tips of his toes as he tried to fight for dominance of the kiss, but failing badly as he felt the jounin's arm slide lower down his body and effortlessly lift him into the air. Iruka let out another squeak when he felt a powerful hand, strengthened by years of battle, grab his behind possessively. What little logic the chuunin had left realized that he would certainly have crescent-shaped marks from the jounin's strong grip, if not dark bruises, but the rest of the teacher could care less, as his new height advantage over the jounin gave him the opportunity to further deepen their kiss.

Almost unconsciously, the chuunin wrapped his legs around the jounin's middle and, had it not been for the strong hand holding him in place, Iruka would have shot into the air in surprise when he felt a definite hardness press against him, teasingly rubbing against his clothed behind. Never before had the chuunin wished he had the sense to walk around his apartment in the nude. With what little movement the jounin's hand allowed, Iruka pressed into the older man's member, receiving a soft groan from the silver-haired pervert. Surprised to find that he shivered as that sound reached his ears, Iruka found the strength to break their kiss, catching his breath for just a moment before he pressed his lips against a narrow, delicate jaw line. As his tongue ran along that jaw, Iruka discovered that he enjoyed the scratchiness to the jounin's skin where the man had obviously not shaved in a few days.

The newfound perverse side of the chuunin had to smirk at the sound that escaped the older man's lips, from his actions. Somewhere between a moan, whimper, and plea, it was, by far, the sexiest thing Iruka had ever heard and the chuunin could not help but wonder what other sounds he could evoke. Trailing a mixture of gentle kisses, even softer nips, and feather-light licks down the jounin's bare throat, the chuunin found himself quickly growing addicted to the collection of noises that came from the silver-haired man as he slowly came to realize Kakashi had an extremely sensitive neck.

"Iruka…" The way Kakashi said his name sent shivers of pleasure down the chuunin's back, warming his lower body far more than Iruka had ever experienced before. Whimpering softly as he unconsciously pressed his own need into the man's solid abdomen, Iruka reveled in the sound that came out of the jounin in response to the chuunin shifting his weight against his throbbing erection. Iruka never thought he could get someone to beg – much less someone as supposedly unfeeling as Kakashi – but he could hear the need in the jounin's voice as clear as day. Responding by tightening his legs around the tall man, Iruka continued his seductive torture by rocking his body slowly as he sucked gently on one of the pale shinobi's collar bones until he was sure he would leave a very noticeable mark.

"Iruka-sensei?" For a moment, Iruka froze when he heard the jounin speak again. He was not so oblivious to hear the change in tone as well as the fact that the jounin's voice was coming from some distance away. Iruka opened his eyes for the first time since the jounin had started kissing him, his eyes widening when he realized the man was no longer in front of him. Glancing around, Iruka was amazed to discover that he was in the same position he had been in earlier, his feet firmly planted on the ground and his body leaning casually against the counter.

Quickly searching the kitchen, he found the silver-haired man leaning against the doorframe much as he had been doing a few minutes ago, but he was now dressed in his uniform. The Inner Irukas cried over the sin of covering up such a body, but Iruka could only stare in amazement. There was no way Kakashi had had time to run to the other side of the apartment, put his clothes on, and make his way back to the doorway while still somehow being able to keep the chuunin believing he was standing in front of him and, even if he could, why would he?

"Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?" That deep voice, previously filled with emotions that made Iruka's body shiver and his toes curl deliciously, was now the normal, droning tone that Iruka had grown accustomed to from seeing the man in the Missions Office over the years. Added to that monotonous tone was a twinge of concern as the jounin looked him over with his visible eye, a pale eyebrow raised curiously. "You kind of spaced out there…"

Iruka found himself at a loss for words as he slowly processed what the jounin had just said. Finally coming up with a plausible explanation, at the same moment his two inner voices did, as to why Kakashi was on the other side of the room, fully dressed, and wearing his customary bored expression, mixed with a slight amount of worry, Iruka found his jaw dropping slightly. The Inner Irukas mirrored his expression as they slowly put words to their realization. _I was daydreaming?! What the hell kind of dream was that?!_ _Have I been hallucinating? _He could have sworn he was fully conscious, but there was no other way to explain why the jounin was now walking towards him, his body not showing the cat-like grace Iruka had seen before, but lanky movements that were commonplace for the jounin and that the man's gorgeous body was hidden by his unflattering uniform.

Looking down at his hands, Iruka could only wonder if his sanity would ever return to him, now that he was so far gone that he was fantasizing about a jounin who had no interest in him other than as a means to beat Gai in one of their idiotic bets. His internal voices tried to comfort him, but only seemed to make him feel worse with their statements.

_He might just be playing hard to get! Maybe he's shy, so he used his Sharingan to trick you to see how you would react…it's possible! _

_And tomorrow it will rain pork and miso ramen…Kakashi would never use his Sharingan for such a childish act!_

_You should go over there and show him who's boss in this relationship! Make him beg for forgiveness on his knees…ooh…on his knees…that's an idea…_

Kakashi watched the chuunin with a raised eyebrow, not even wanting to ask about why Iruka was eyeing his counter as though he was contemplating bashing his head into it. Then again, his little trick on the chuunin was mean. He'd never used the Sharingan for anything other than strictly shinobi business, and even then, he only revealed his unnatural eye when absolutely necessary, but seeing the dazed and confused look on the man's face was priceless and quite worth breaking his self-imposed rule. And, as he had heard quoted many times to him by his crazed friends, all was fair in love and war.

_And this is war, Iruka…_ the jounin thought to himself as he studied the man, assuring himself Iruka, in some twisted way, had something to do with why Kakashi had been locked in the bathroom for nearly a day. If nothing else, he would get back at the man for WASABI, for being humiliated by his demonic students, and, most of all, for Pakkun stealing his savings for the grand opening of the Icha Icha Paradise theme park. He didn't care if Iruka actually had little to do with any of those events, but in his hypothermic mind, he wanted someone to blame and that was all that mattered.

"Um…" Kakashi inwardly cackled when he saw the shockingly vibrant shade of pink covering the chuunin's cheeks as Iruka tried to say something intelligent. He had learned over the years that it was sometimes best to let someone's own imagination create their illusion when he used his Sharingan and, from the dumbfounded look on the chuunin's face, Iruka had quite an imagination. _What did he think was happening?_ Kakashi couldn't help but wonder as he wished he'd been paying more attention to the illusion his unnatural eye had been weaving for the chuunin instead of outright staring at the younger man. At the time, he had been more interested in watching the chuunin's response, which he had to admit was quite interesting as well. He had never before seen someone so tan turn such a magnificent shade of red; the jounin smirked when he realized he must have a pervert on his hands if he could get Iruka to turn such colors. Another side of the jounin had been paying more attention to the chuunin and not the illusion because he still could not believe that he had never before realized how good-looking Iruka was when he was not blowing up at a student or at someone in the Missions Office.

"Maa…want to go get something for breakfast, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked as he glanced over at the one clock in the kitchen, realizing that Iruka needed to start getting ready soon if he wanted to get to work on time. It was not a stalker-like obsession with the man that gave Kakashi such knowledge, but Naruto's never-ending rants that _Iruka-sensei_ was always on time for everything, even though he had to be at the academy at what Kakashi considered to be unholy hours of the morning. Then again, anything before two in the afternoon was an unthinkable time to be awake in the jounin's mind.

Kakashi had to raise an eyebrow when he saw the light blush come to the chuunin's cheeks. This color, unlike his earlier displays, was not an unnatural color, but one that was quite becoming of the younger man and showed that he had not been expecting such consideration from Kakashi. The jounin was about to open his mouth and suggest going to a little diner where he could start his daily intake of caffeine and further his war campaign against the chuunin, but froze when the brunet suggested something first and Kakashi found himself adding a new description to the handsome, mildly bipolar man – evil.

"How about ramen?" Iruka asked innocently, hoping he could get Kakashi to one day enjoy the noodles. As he watched the visible part of the jounin's face turn even paler than his abnormally white skin was naturally, Iruka recalled how the mention of noodles had sent Kakashi back to the bathroom earlier. Not wanting to correct himself, and in the process have to ask Kakashi what his deal with ramen was, Iruka feigned complete ignorance as the jounin's mouth dropped open. Damned if he was going to let Kakashi get away with using him for a bet without being tortured in the process.

_Evil bastard…he set up those ramen posters…he is in on this…_Kakashi decided as he felt his visible eye begin to twitch as images concerning the tan chuunin and ramen ran unchecked through his perverse mind. Had it not been for the fact he could no longer feel his entire lower body due to the numbing effects of ice-cold water, Kakashi probably would have been back in the bathroom in the blink of an eye, but as things stood, the jounin could only gape at Iruka and wonder what he had ever done to deserve all of this. _First Gai and his random bet…then those brats made me decide Iruka would be perfect to use...then WASABI…hold it…are they all in on this?!_ As a declared genius, Kakashi did not like passing things up as coincidence, but as a skeptical shinobi, he liked those chances even less. Narrowing his gaze at the chuunin for a moment, he had to repeat his declaration that now forced him to nod his head at Iruka's suggestion of noodles and broth for breakfast.

_This means war, Iruka-sensei…_

--

Authoress: Kuku…I like how this story's turning out…I can only imagine what will happen next in their little "war"!!! And I did not want everyone to hate me for not having a lemon last chapter, hence the lovely kiss…So, please review and tell me what you think!! Until next time, ja ne!

B.Z.: You are a cruel, CRUEL Mistress! I mean, talk about major misunderstandings...sheesh! And Kakashi should know that "to assume anything, makes an ass out of You and Me." LOL.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Authoress: Gomen nasai for taking so long to update…school keeps getting in the way…and then, there's other stories so close to being done, I can't stand it //squeals//

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…it's just wishful thinking…

**Chapter Eleven**

Iruka snuck a glance at the jounin seated next to him. He couldn't keep himself from bordering on staring. Naruto, for once in his life, had spoken the complete truth – his silver-haired teacher actually defied physics when he ate. The brunet couldn't help but wonder how such a thin man could eat so much in such a short amount of time, while still somehow being able to keep his face masked. It boggled the mind and Iruka all but asked the jounin how he accomplished such a feat, but stopped himself when he saw Kakashi look up from his empty bowl.

"Maa…staring isn't polite, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi calmly stated, his words making Iruka blush furiously as the brunet frantically looked around the small ramen stand in hopes of finding something to distract the jounin.

"Neither is using up all my water," Iruka retorted, somehow able to keep his tone even despite the impressive shade of his face, and the shiver that went down his back when Kakashi turned his one-eyed gaze on him. Iruka nearly did a double take when he saw a rim of pink creep over the older man's dark mask. Feeling the barest of smirks tug at his lips, Iruka felt slightly better knowing that Kakashi was embarrassed over last night's events.

Iruka was slightly surprised when he heard the chuckle come out of the tall man. He had always pictured Kakashi as someone who couldn't take a joke. Then again, Naruto's description of his teacher, as an incurable pervert who was as emotionless as a rock when it came to anything other than his novels, was not helping matters.

"Sorry about that…" Kakashi mumbled as he brought a gloved hand up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. Unsure how to explain himself without revealing that he was on to the chuunin's twisted – and quite illogical – plan, Kakashi remained quiet as he studied Iruka, through far more subtle glances than the stares Iruka had been giving him.

He had to admit that, despite the exhaustion etched in his face due to a sleepless night, Iruka was still sinfully handsome. How the hell had Kakashi not noticed it before? Even with the uneven, marred skin stretched across his nose, Iruka had features that anyone would be attracted to. If anything, that mysterious scar of his added to his looks, Kakashi decided as he felt a twinge of curiosity. It was an unusual scar and the jounin couldn't help but wonder how Iruka had gotten such an injury.

"Where did you get that scar?" Kakashi asked bluntly as he studied the chuunin under a new light. Iruka was apparently not just the kind-hearted, insanely bipolar man he had always assumed him to be. No, he was somehow part of this devious plan to make Kakashi lose his mind. WASABI, Gai, Naruto…they all were tied to the seemingly innocent man with the scar across his cute nose.

"No idea," Iruka replied with a smile, as he watched the jounin raise a pale eyebrow. "I've had it as long as I can remember. Whenever I asked my parents, they just laughed and shook their heads, saying I had gotten it being my usual self." It was downright aggravating for a child to have to admit, to his friends in the academy, that he had no idea where he had gotten the deep laceration from. He had simply woken up one morning, blood covering his pillows and his face aching horribly.

Kakashi outright stared at the chuunin and his confession, unable to do anything but believe Iruka's idiotic story. It was such a tale that he couldn't see why the younger man would even lie about such a thing, so he took it at face value and had to laugh at the chuunin.

Iruka suppressed the urge to pout at the jounin's amusement. "Now I get to ask you a question, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka stated as he studied the silver-haired man, trying to think of a question for the infamous Copy Nin. A part of the chuunin was dying to ask what was under the mask, but he couldn't help but enjoy this comfortable atmosphere with the man. Any pressing questions about Kakashi's face would most certainly ruin the moment. "Why did you ask me out?"

Having expected to hear a question about his mask or some other part of him that added to his notoriety, Kakashi nearly fell off of his stool in surprise at Iruka's query. Knowing he wouldn't tell the teacher the real reason – that he was aware Iruka had something to do with the last several days of hell he had been through, and was treating the man to a breakfast of ramen in order to figure out what Iruka's reasoning was – Kakashi took a moment to think of an answer to throw off the teacher.

"You needed to eat breakfast before going to the academy…" he replied nonchalantly as he focused his gaze on the teacher. Seeing the man's eyes widen, Kakashi was tempted to ask what was wrong, but Iruka unknowingly answered his unspoken question.

"Academy…shimatta!!" Having never heard such a shriek come out of anyone containing a drop of testosterone, Kakashi was caught unprepared for the high pitched scream that tore through his ears as the brunet flew out of his chair.

Instinctively covering his ears, though the threat of losing any more of his hearing was gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust and flurry of curses that made even a pervert of Kakashi's level wonder if most were even anatomically possible, the jounin winced in pain, wishing he had thought over his answer a little bit more. Perhaps it was a bad idea to lose track of time as he watched Iruka eat his breakfast, which consisted of all thirty one flavors of ramen. How there could be thirty one distinct flavors of ramen, Kakashi had never wanted to know, but he now was quite aware of the fact that there were such flavors as salmon, chocolate, and strangely enough, cheese-wiz, thanks to ramen connoisseurs like Iruka and Naruto.

Watching the younger man eat was an adventure in both slight disgust, as well as amazement. Kakashi now knew where Naruto got his cast iron, never-ending pit of a stomach. In the course of an hour, he had witnessed the teacher pack away enough ramen to feed Naruto for a week – and that was, sadly, not an exaggeration. Kakashi had, for a moment, actually feared for his life when he had made the mistake of curiously sneaking a noodle of cheese-wiz ramen out of Iruka's bowl. Not even the most frightening of missing nin had ever given him such a glare that promised a long, painful death as the chuunin did at that moment.

He had been so surprised and frightened – though he would never admit to the fact his life flashed before his eyes to anyone – Kakashi couldn't even taste the interestingly flavored noodle. All he was aware of, as he watched Iruka silently return to his stacks of bowls, was that the young man was downright possessive of his food. And it was indescribably sexy.

Had it not been for the fact he and Iruka hardly knew each other, that they were in public, and that Kakashi had the sinking feeling he was finally beginning to crack from years of dealing with his insane team, he might have actually acted on that observation. The younger man was in such ecstasy over eating ramen, Kakashi couldn't help but recall the fantasies concocted during his attempts at freezing off his traitorous member.

To keep his mind off such images – as well as hoping to keep Iruka's attention anywhere but on his tightening pants – Kakashi had silently joined in Iruka's valiant attempt to eat his weight in ramen. Wishing he hadn't acted so impulsively, and actually succeeded in eating eight bowls of ramen before accidentally reminding the teacher he had a job, Kakashi whimpered as his stomach finally regained enough feeling to begin rebelling at his choice of breakfast.

Life was unfair, Kakashi decided as he recalled expanses of tanned flesh stretched over deliciously defined muscles. If he ate like the brunet, he would be a pudgy ball, but Iruka must have the metabolism of a small furred rodent to work off so many starches that he could maintain such a god-like figure. It was enough to make Kakashi's stomach grumble in jealousy.

Leaning back in his stool slowly, wincing as his stomach began to cramp, Kakashi surveyed the towers of bowls Iruka had left behind in his wake. Had he not witnessed it, he would have thought the dishes were due to Naruto and one hundred of his best clones coming through after an afternoon of training, rather than one academy teacher.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw the ramen stand's owner rubbing his hands together happily. If nothing else, Iruka alone could keep the old man in business. Thinking on that for a moment, his gaze returning to the piles of bowls surrounding him, it took the jounin a surprisingly long time to calculate the astronomical size of Iruka's bill. He had thought the other day was impressive when he had been conned by his students to meet Iruka for dinner, but this went far beyond the ten or so bowls Iruka had packed away that night.

No matter how desperate the village was for pre-genin teachers, there was no way Iruka got paid that well. Kakashi didn't even get paid enough to cover such costs, if it was a common occurrence. Recalling the pitiful state of his dwindling savings thanks to his students and his nin dog, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye as he saw the owner start walking towards him with a lightness in his step that no one who was just eaten out of his entire supply of ramen should ever possess.

Feeling his eye begin to twitch uncontrollably, Kakashi slowly came to realize why the old man had a predatory glint to his eye as he navigated a stack of papers around the piles of bowls, setting the bills down in front of the jounin who was now whimpering for a whole new host of reasons.

Kakashi, dreading every moment of it, flipped to the last page of the bills, and felt his last bit of sanity begin to slip upon seeing the circled number there – and were those hearts surrounding such an insane amount!!? Gritting his teeth, Kakashi pulled out his pathetically thin wallet as he regretfully reminded himself that he _had_ asked Iruka to breakfast, which could be construed as offering to pay, but this was going too far.

Opening the strip of leather, Kakashi gulped as he counted out the few bills Pakkun and his students had been kind enough to leave him with. Before he even got the chance to chuckle nervously, a white apron was chucked at his face.

_You may have won this battle, Iruka-sensei…_

--

"Kakashi's really late today, ne?" Naruto asked as he took a slow step away from his teammates, who had yet to forgive him for overdosing their unsuspecting teacher yesterday. It wasn't his fault! Sakura should have known to dilute the aphrodisiac herself, and not trust him to remember such an important detail when he was already unsure about this whole plan to get the two teachers together.

He had been so nervous Kakashi would know what they were doing, that his hands had been shaking as he had given Kakashi _first aid_. He was bordering on an outright panic attack, the first in his entire lifetime, as he waited for the jounin to strangle him for even attempting to give him a little "push" in the right direction. And, having seen his teammates' dread when he told them he had given Kakashi all of the aphrodisiac, Naruto was starting to have second thoughts about letting the two drag him into their hellish matchmaking scheme.

"Let's give you that many drugs and see if you feel up to coming to practice…" Sakura grumbled as she shot Naruto a dirty look. Despite the fact that she had agreed that it was, in part, her fault for giving him such concentrated vials of aphrodisiac – and such quantities of it – she couldn't help but wish Naruto could have put two and two together.

"What about Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke posed the question, his generally emotionless voice tinged with pity. He wouldn't state it out loud, but he had the feeling the poor academy teacher wouldn't be walking for days if Kakashi had had his way while under the influence.

"…do you think they did…_it_?" Naruto all but hissed, as his face colored momentarily, before he blanched, images of the two teachers coming to mind. Without another word, the blonde raced to the edge of the training grounds before he began gagging at the images. If nothing else, his dry heaving served to take his mind off deciding which man was uke.

Sasuke felt his own face warm at the thought. Taking a quick glance over to Sakura and seeing the decidedly predatory glint in her eyes – and a suspicious trail of blood coming from her nose – the Uchiha shivered. Just his luck – he finally voices his attraction towards Naruto and the bane of his existence turns out to be a Yaoi fanatic.

"Iruka, being your guardian and everything, Naruto… He wouldn't think it strange if we hung out at his apartment every now and again, would he?" Both males stared at their giggling teammate in varied levels of confusion and distrust. Something about her innocent smile set both teens on edge. "Well, think about it… Kakashi would have to take off his mask to do anything, ne? If there just happens to be a camera around…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering when Sakura would finally grow up and forget about trying to find out what Kakashi looked like underneath the mask. Glancing over at the blonde, his hopes of finding a like-minded mature young adult were dashed. Naruto was all but prancing over to Sakura with a loving look in his eyes, no longer thinking about his sole guardian and their teacher doing X-rated things.

"Oi, Iruka spaces out so much, he wouldn't notice if we set up an entire studio," Naruto added gleefully as he plopped down between Sakura and Sasuke, wiggling his behind several times to find a comfortable spot, which just happened to be leaning against Sasuke's muscular thigh.

Staring at the blonde's position, a pink tinge coming to his cheeks, Sasuke did his best to ignore the feeling of the blonde's rear all but sitting in his lap. It brought back all kinds of memories of their heated farewell last night. Had Naruto not begun stammering about needing to water his plants and then all but slamming his door in Sasuke's face, last night would have ended far differently than it had – with an icy shower that, strangely, had turned warm about halfway through. Was it possible to run out of cold water?

For a moment, Sasuke entertained the idea of a different outcome to last night. If he had any choice in the matter, it would have ended with the delicious blonde on his back. Or perhaps on his knees? Against a wall? No, that would be too rushed; a bed would have most certainly been required. Quickly hiding his stiffening member from his Yaoi-loving teammate by shifting so that Naruto's body was blocking his groin from Sakura's view, Sasuke tuned into his teammates' conversation.

"Really? Spaces out?"

"Un. It's like no one's home. It's kind of creepy sometimes."

"So he wouldn't notice if we put a camera or two in his room one day?"

"Pfft. He wouldn't notice normally…but added to the fact he'd be _distracted _by Kakashi, I doubt he would notice if all of us were sitting there watching."

Sasuke coughed to gain his teammates' attention. Naruto and Sakura, with their far-from-legal plots, fell silent within moments, turning their gaze on Sasuke. "If Kakashi isn't coming… maybe we should go out for lunch…" Almost immediately, Sasuke regretted offering. He had seen that hungry look come to Naruto's blue eyes and it frightened him ever so slightly.

All he had been thinking was that he had to do something to protect the teachers' privacy. He was all for seeing what was under the mask, but he had already seen _all_ of Kakashi once (besides what was under the ever-present mask) and had no urge to have physical pictures of the man and his pale, pale skin – the mental image scarred him enough. Not to mention he would never be able to look at Iruka the same again. And not seeing the pictures wouldn't be an option. Naruto would torture him with suspense and anticipation or outright force him to look. Either way, Sasuke was sure he would find himself looking at far more of another person's skin than he ever wanted to see – well, save Naruto.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked, his voice trembling with giddiness. Seeing his very life flash before his eyes as he considered refusing Naruto, the Uchiha saw the genius of his hastily put together plan. If Naruto was otherwise distracted by noodles, then he would not be conspiring with Sakura…and if she didn't have an accomplice, Sakura couldn't do very much to invade the teachers' privacy.

Realizing this, Sasuke said the two magical words that would have gotten Naruto to happily follow him to the ends of the earth, having not recognized their full power until the blonde instantaneously attached himself around Sasuke's middle. "My treat."

Sasuke wasn't sure if the blonde was aware of it, but with each gushing "I love you" or "thank you, teme," he was pressing kisses on every inch of exposed, pale flesh he could reach.

Fighting back the urge to whimper, and then drag Naruto back to his house and do unmentionable things to the overly-enthusiastic boy, Sasuke caught a glimpse of the third member of their cell and nearly cursed. He had never before seen such a dreamy look on her face and, Sasuke had to admit, he would be perfectly happy to never see it again. He could only hope that Iruka and Kakashi would one day thank him for protecting them from the loving blonde growth around his midsection, and the girl cackling to herself. If nothing else, they better give him a vacation away from the insanity otherwise known as his teammates.

--

After eight hours of washing dishes, Kakashi and the ramen stand's owner had forged a strange appreciation of each other. Though both men preferred peace and quiet, the owner's bubbly daughter had forced both males to speak to one another. Wiping his pruned hands on the towel tied to his waist, Kakashi finally stretched backwards, hearing his back crack satisfyingly. Though he had always thought himself to be in shape, right now, he had aching muscles that he hadn't even been aware he possessed until today.

"A hot shower will help," the owner stated without taking his eyes off of the pot he was stirring, somehow knowing that Kakashi's back was screaming in pain, though the jounin had not once complained in all his hours at the sink.

"Thanks," Kakashi replied appreciatively, unsure if he should tell the old man that if he ever saw another shower in his life, it would be far too soon. He would then eventually have to explain why he had all but lived in Iruka's bathroom for a day, which would only result in more questions.

"So…you and Iruka, ne?" Teuchi stated, his tone neither condoning nor condemning. It, much like the rest of the man, was neutral, observing what he could from his place behind the stove. Moving to begin drying the last load of dishes he had washed, Kakashi wondered how he should answer the question.

"I'm happy for both of you. It's about time Iruka found someone!" Ayame commented as she handed over a steaming bowl of ramen to the stand's sole customer. The young man, a chuunin judging from his uniform, glanced up at the three momentarily, his eyes widening when he saw Kakashi. Almost as soon as his eyes met with Kakashi's visible orb, the man blushed and all but attacked his ramen, obviously doing his best to tune out the conversation.

Kakashi inwardly sighed; sometimes it was amazingly helpful to be an enigma. People did their best to not piss him off, for some reason thinking he would snap and kill them. Actually, the only people who purposely annoyed him were those who knew him well enough to realize he was incapable of harming a comrade. If only Kakashi could forget that loyalty when it came to his students! If he could, he would have strangled Naruto twice over every day of the week. And, for this little adventure his three students were on, along with a sickeningly large number of adult, mature shinobi, Kakashi would have gladly beat them to within an inch of their lives. He had done nothing to deserve all of this!

Recalling the large gash he had inflicted on Naruto's leg the other night, Kakashi momentarily debated if he should feel remorse, or if he should be mildly annoyed that Naruto had dared to kiss Iruka for him. Of course, in his mental debate, he had to point out that, in part thanks to his blonde idiot of a student, he had gotten to see Iruka in the buff. Then again, he had wholly embarrassed himself also because of Naruto's antics.

"Things aren't going well, I take it?" Teuchi commented with a raised eyebrow, watching the jounin who was glaring daggers at an unprepossessing pot. Kakashi blinked several times before looking to the older man in confusion. "Iruka can be…_trying_ at the best of times."

"Well of course he is! The only person he really trusts is Naruto – they're all each other has!" Ayame retorted with tears in her eyes as she pressed her spoon to her chest dreamily. "Not to mention that Iruka had given up a normal life to take care of Naruto!" Squealing over something only other romantics could understand, she spun in a circle before turning her gaze on Kakashi. "You're actually the first person I know of him seeing in…let's see…five, no- six years…"

The dish Kakashi had been drying slipped from his fingers, as the girl's words hit his ears, crashing on the floor and shattering into a thousand pieces. Kakashi didn't even register the broken plate, which the owner now tacked onto his remaining time as dishwasher. _Six years!?!?!_ Kakashi gaped at her, unable to imagine what it would be like to be chaste for so long. If he went more than a month or two, he was a horny bastard. Iruka should be nominated for sainthood…either that, or someone should check if the man had a damn pulse.

"That's right. It was Mizuki," the owner added as he nodded to his daughter. "No wonder Iruka has taken so long to start dating again…it must have taken a while to get over something like that…"

Kakashi all but stared at the two, wondering what could have happened between Iruka and his past lover to make Ayame's eyes water and, hold it, was that a sniffle coming from the old man?! He had heard the name Mizuki, but six years ago, he had been out of the village more often than not. It was only when he was assigned his genin team that Kakashi found himself in the village for more than a few minutes every month.

"Nearly killed poor Iruka…" Ayame whimpered as she studied Kakashi. The look she gave the jounin made Kakashi's chest ache momentarily for reasons the man was unwilling to ponder. "Whatever you do, Hatake-san, please don't hurt Iruka. He may not seem like it, but he's very sensitive…"

_Sensitive…between getting my team to drug me, the ramen, WASABI, and everything else, Iruka is the least sensitive person I have ever met… _Kakashi inwardly grumbled, but nodded his head so that the young woman would stop looking at him like that. It was downright spooky, the kind of feelings she was dredging up from his normally unfeeling heart.

"I won't hurt him," Kakashi replied, throwing in a heartfelt tone to his words in hopes of convincing the girl who was staring at him perceptively. Seeing something in him, she finally stepped back, nodding her head. Kakashi inwardly let out a sigh of relief. In the past week, he had been forced to lie far more than he had in years because of this stupid bet with Gai. First to WASABI, then to his students, and now to a ramen stand's owner and his daughter… Who next would he have to convince that his feelings for Iruka were 'real'?

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!?" Kakashi cringed at the sound of the boy's voice. Turning to look at the three students gaping at him, he forced himself to adopt the bored expression they had become so accustomed to seeing.

"Yo," he commented with a wave. The three teens stared at him, dumbfounded to the point it was actually amusing for Kakashi. Never before would he have thought Sasuke was capable of resembling a fish.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked softly, her eyes taking in the apron tied around his middle, the towel tucked against his hip, and the man's wrinkled fingers. "Are you washing dishes?!" she all but demanded as she put her observations together.

"Maa…" Now, how to answer such a question, without hitting Naruto upside the head for not warning Kakashi that there was one person in the village with a larger stomach than him? Not to mention that Kakashi just happened to focus his interest on that same seemingly polite, soft-spoken brunet who could eat enough to feed an impressively-sized army of Akimichi.

"Ha, you couldn't pay your bill, ne?" Naruto sniggered knowingly as he flopped into the stool closest to the sink where Kakashi stood motionless. "Iruka and I have been put on dish duty a couple times too."

Kakashi had to bite back the growl he felt in the back of his throat. The least Naruto could have done was hint that Iruka was a bottomless pit. Kakashi had no idea how much that one shinobi could pack away in the early morning hours and, now knowing so, he was slightly afraid of ever being around Iruka first thing in the morning again. Of course, he hadn't done much research on the brunet, so Kakashi had to take some of the blame for his ignorance when it came to the target of his "affections". "We came for breakfast," Kakashi mumbled before turning to go back to his dishes before too many bowls piled up.

"_We?_" Naruto repeated questioningly. Glancing back at the teenager, it was like watching something in slow motion, as Naruto grasped what that pronoun could have meant and what kind of implications it had, and Kakashi enjoyed every moment of it. "YOU AND IRUKA?!" The boy all but screamed as he nearly flew off of his stool. "WHY THE HELL WERE YOU WITH IRUKA EARLY ENOUGH TO GO TO BREAKFAST?!"

Sakura took pity on Kakashi – as well as anyone within a ten mile radius who could have heard Naruto – and smacked the boy hard enough to knock him out momentarily. Thankful for the reprieve, Kakashi went back to his washing, but his hands stilled after a moment as he thought of the perfect way to get back at his students for being the demons they were.

"So…how was last night?" Sasuke hesitatingly asked as he snagged a seat next to the unconscious blonde, his eyes on Kakashi. The jounin inwardly cackled as he gave the boy a smile, cocking his head to the side innocently.

"Maa, it was very _informative_. Eighteen straight hours. I never thought it was possible, but it's amazing what drugs can do for endurance, ne? I don't think Iruka will be able to sit for a while… I was surprised he could even walk this morning," he replied, watching as Sasuke turned a scarlet shade. Taking a moment to glance at Sakura, he was surprised to see the girl on the ground, out cold with blood trailing from her nose. And he hadn't even started tormenting the teens yet! Waiting for both Sakura and Naruto to rouse themselves, Kakashi hummed softly, smiling deviously at Sasuke from time to time as the Uchiha obviously started creating mental images, that only resulted in an even deeper coloring to his cheeks.

"It was Sakura's idea… and Naruto accidentally gave you an overdose," Sasuke finally sung like a canary under Kakashi's soft humming and raised eyebrow. Even Ibiki had commented on his knack for interrogation, but, sadly, it had been far too long since Kakashi had the chance to intimidate someone with just a few looks.

"Why?" Kakashi had to ask as he studied Sasuke, trying to figure out where the only level-headed student he had fit into this insane plot. Naruto, it was to be expected and, to a certain degree, such actions were understandable for Sakura, but Sasuke?

"You would muck things up… we know you…" Sasuke admitted softly, his blush deepening as he realized Kakashi hadn't figured out that he was very much a willing participant to their plan. Hell, the aphrodisiacs had originally been his idea, but he wasn't going to tell the jounin that, even under pain of death.

"Muck?" Kakashi repeated with a raised eyebrow. He knew he wasn't the most understanding of people, but, for his students to be sure he would be incapable of performing a simple seduction, he must not be believable enough in his "feelings" for Iruka.

"You would probably say or do something to piss off Iruka…" Sasuke replied truthfully. Kakashi found himself nodding at the boy's logic. Already, in a matter of days, he had gone to new heights of embarrassing events. Not only had he been caught by WASABI and, thus, stood Iruka up on their first date, but he had also ended up in the hospital after bashing his head into a cabinet, he had been robbed by his own dog, he had been conned, tricked, and otherwise manipulated by his students, but, most of all, he couldn't shake thoughts of the brunet from his mind. It was like he was possessed by some horny teenager with the worst luck imaginable.

"Well next time you drug me, please warn me first," Kakashi replied, forcing himself to sound pleasant when all he wanted to do was growl at his students. Those three could smell weakness and if they knew that he had to all but freeze off his member to keep himself from downright raping Iruka, they would never let him live it down.

Seeing his two other students finally starting to wake, Kakashi untied his apron and handed both the white cloth, as well as the towel, to a wide-eyed Sasuke. "Have fun," he commented happily before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The Uchiha let his gaze turn towards the sink Kakashi had been in front of, his eyes traveling up the towers of dishes and he inwardly cringed. They were going to be here all day washing dishes. It wouldn't be so bad, but he had the feeling Naruto would be impossible to live with after living out his lifelong fantasy of working at a ramen stand.

--

Iruka rubbed his temples, willing away the migraine that was threatening to descend upon him. He had never before had such a horrible day at the academy, and he couldn't help but blame Kakashi for it all. Had he gotten enough sleep – or any sleep at all – he wouldn't have been so crabby. Not being cranky as he was, he wouldn't have snapped at one of his students for asking him a legitimate question about her test. Had he not bitten her head off, she wouldn't have started crying, which turned out to be contagious as his entire pre-genin class started whimpering and sniffling.

The crying only escalated until Iruka had dismissed classes an hour early, no longer able to stand the sound of the children whispering to each other between sobs. They could only speculate what had put him in such a mood, but a few of the older students had pretty much hit the nail on the head. By the time he dismissed the class, they were certain he had been unable to sleep last night, though seven and eight year old children only had, thankfully, innocent ideas of what could have kept him up.

"Yo, Iruka-sensei." Hearing _that _voice, Iruka had to swallow back the urge to growl. Looking up from his desk, the brunet eyed the jounin mere feet away, leaning against a desk so his impossibly long legs were stretched halfway across the room.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Iruka greeted coolly, raising an eyebrow when he saw the jounin wince. Almost immediately, Kakashi's hands went to his back, gingerly massaging his muscles. Unable to help himself, Iruka smirked and opened his mouth. "I take it practice was interesting today? After running after Naruto and the others, you must be feeling your age, ne?" Iruka was actually surprised by the fierce glare Kakashi gave him and, if the man's entire face was visible, the chuunin was positive he would have seen Kakashi outright pout.

"I'm not old," Kakashi retorted, pulling his hands away from his back. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the spasm of pain that ran down his spine as he stood straight up, running a hand through his deceivingly silver hair.

"Denial is not attractive," Iruka stated, his tone mocking the jounin who was shuffling towards the teacher's desk. Feeling his migraine receding, Iruka started shuffling his papers together, preparing to leave the academy for the night. At the moment, he was so relieved that he didn't work at the Missions Office that he didn't notice Kakashi approaching until the tall man planted both of his gloved hands on the chuunin's desk.

Leaning forwards so he was a mere hairsbreadth from Iruka, Kakashi took a deep breath before focusing his gaze on the brunet. "Are you calling yourself old as well, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, curious to know what age Iruka had estimated for him. He _had_ actually done _some_ research on the teacher, discovering that the bronze Adonis was actually less than a year younger than himself.

"I have not yet started my midlife crisis, so no," Iruka replied good-naturedly, finding that it was quite amusing to annoy Kakashi. Even though the jounin was close enough that Iruka could feel his warm breath through his mask, the man's silvery hair tickling Iruka's cheeks. Not even Kakashi's narrow gaze made it any less interesting for Iruka. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Kakashi-sensei. I hear it's quite common once you begin approaching your late thirties…"

Kakashi nearly squeaked when he heard Iruka's estimation. Did he really look that old!? He would admit that his hair didn't help his cause, but still! Exchanging the squeak for a more masculine grumble, he glared at the chuunin. "I will have you know I'm twenty-eight," Kakashi all but snapped as he leaned in closer to the teacher, who was dumbstruck by the man's statement.

Iruka outright stared at Kakashi, his mouth gaping open, as he tried to find anything that would tell him the jounin was lying. Was it possible for the man to exude such a mature aura that Iruka was nearly a decade off in his guess? Recalling the past few days in Kakashi's presence, Iruka mentally shook his head. Whatever it was that made him place Kakashi in approaching his forties, it was certainly not maturity.

Kakashi couldn't help but flush under Iruka's gaze. It wasn't often people were so close to his face, he could all but taste their warm breath, smell their distinct aroma, but most of all, it was exceedingly rare for him to be so close to someone else that he could discover that eyes that he once thought were a dull brown, were one of the most fascinating mixtures of copper and gold.

"Seriously?" Iruka's question was no more than a breath of air as he studied the small visible section of Kakashi's pale skin. At this close a distance, he could see that, whereas his eyes were framed with laugh lines, Kakashi's had no hint that he had a life filled with humor. No, he obviously frowned quite often if the lines between lightly-colored eyebrows were any indication.

Iruka could also see the pale scars that, had he not been so close, he would have never been able to see against Kakashi's near-albino skin. This close, their pearly shine revealed a story of a hard shinobi life that had obviously taken its toll on the man before Iruka. Unable to help himself, Iruka brought a hand up to the left side of Kakashi's face, his thumb brushing against one of the smaller of those scars, feeling its silken smoothness against his fingertip. Focusing his gaze on Kakashi's visible eye, Iruka realized why he had thought Kakashi to be so much older – it was the look in the man's eye.

Kakashi had nearly pulled away from Iruka's gentle fingers, having never been able to stand other people touching his face, but was astonished to find himself instinctively turning towards the chuunin's hand, pressing his cheek into the man's palm.

Iruka swallowed heavily as he stared into Kakashi's visible eye, realizing for the first time that the jounin didn't have black eyes, but his iris was such a dark shade of blue that it was ebony unless the light caught it just right. Iruka found himself deciding that the jounin had the most beautiful eye he had ever seen.

Kakashi's gaze was pulled away from Iruka's richly colored eyes when he saw the chuunin's Adam's apple bob deliciously. Unable to help himself, Kakashi mirrored the brunet's actions as he was overtaken by the blinding need to know exactly what Iruka tasted like.

"Close your eyes," Kakashi said, his words somewhere between a demand and a plea – as though he himself was unsure what to classify the phrase as. Finding it impossible to do anything else, Iruka acquiesced, his eyes fluttering shut as he tried to think of why Kakashi had asked such a thing of him. Almost as soon as his eyelashes brushed against his cheeks, Iruka discovered what Kakashi had in mind.

Long fingers and a gloved palm covered Iruka's shut eyes, the gentle touch sending shivers down the chuunin's back. Almost as soon as Kakashi's hand caressed him, Iruka felt a new sensation on his face, though now, that warmth was directed towards his lips.

Any momentary unease, over being essentially blinded by the jounin, disappeared when Iruka felt something brush against his lips. The only thought that he could form at that moment was the realization that the satiny touch was most certainly not the dark material of Kakashi's mask.

Inwardly squealing as he recalled his fantastic hallucination that morning, Iruka tilted his head as he sought to increase that burning, yet impossibly arousing, pressure. A jolt of blinding pleasure ran through Iruka when the jounin consented to his silent demands, crushing his lips against Iruka's with a groan.

What was meant to be a slow, masterful kiss to further his mission in seducing Iruka for the sake of a bet, quickly spiraled out of control the moment Kakashi flicked his tongue against the chuunin's lower lip. The wave of desire that hit him was unlike anything Kakashi had ever experienced and, forgetting about any and all ulterior motives, he lost himself to the pounding of his heart, as he ran his tongue along that plump lip, begging for entrance.

No matter how amazing that daydream had been, it was nothing compared to the sensations that wracked Iruka's body, as he hesitantly opened his mouth. There were no books, no discussions, nothing that could have prepared Iruka for the indescribable feel of Kakashi kissing him. It was unlike any other kiss he had experienced – of course, Iruka had few opportunities to be kissed passionately, other than a few clumsy attempts as a teenager. This, however, was anything but awkward.

Kakashi groaned into the chuunin's mouth, instantly addicted to the taste of the younger man. Hungrily tracing his way along the chuunin's mouth, he shifted so that he could deepen their kiss, his tongue caressing Iruka's, coaxing the shy man into returning the gentle pressure. Almost as soon as Iruka kissed him back, Kakashi wished he hadn't done so. Whatever restraint Kakashi had felt disappeared with one wet, hesitant stroke.

Both of his hands moving to grasp the chuunin's skull, Kakashi wove his fingers into the man's thick hair as he silently demanded the teacher to open his mouth more, to give him more access. It wasn't that he wanted to know if Iruka had a faint salty taste or that the chuunin's tongue, deliciously roughened, could curl around his and suck so wantonly that Kakashi was reduced to moaning, spiraling out of control. No, it wasn't _want _– he _had _to know. It was now a necessity.

In all of his years of experience, Kakashi had never kissed or been kissed in return like this. It was a heady feeling he got at the realization that it was the first time in his life that he was at the mercy of the man before him. He would do anything to continue their kiss – to see where it led. Even the pangs of agony in his back wouldn't keep Kakashi from throwing Iruka to the desk and taking him if that was what the chuunin desired.

Iruka nearly whimpered as he leaned into their kiss, finding the jounin's taste more addictive than even ramen. His body working on its own accord, Iruka was hardly aware that he had wound his fingers into Kakashi's hair, his palms cupping cheeks roughened by stubble that only served to turn Iruka on further. He could only imagine that such whiskers would leave their mark on him if Kakashi kissed any other part of his body.

Stepping closer to the delicious chuunin, Kakashi ran right into the solid desk separating them. That piece of furniture burst through the lust-filled fog that had blinded Kakashi to everything other than the brunet. Slowly recalling that they were in Iruka's classroom, very much under the scrutiny of anyone who happened by the room, Kakashi reluctantly pulled back.

Though his stiffening member protested his actions, Kakashi eased away from Iruka, finally breaking away only to realize that he had somehow forgotten to breathe as he had kissed the seductive man. Leaning his forehead against Iruka's, the soft _clink_ of metal on metal being the only sound other than their heavy pants, Kakashi took a moment to compose himself before he dared to look at Iruka without fearing he would lose control again.

Iruka swallowed heavily, his body screaming to force the jounin's lips back against his own, but he could sense Kakashi's hesitancy, which served to remind him that they were in public where anyone – even an innocent child – could see them. Taking a few steadying breaths, loosening his grip on Kakashi's hair, his hands fell limply to his sides.

"Can I open my eyes?" Iruka asked, out of breath, though he was doing his best to regain some composure, but he was finding it more and more difficult to breathe as his body became feverish, demanding that he continue what Kakashi had started.

Pulling away from Iruka slightly, Kakashi's eye widened as he realized the brunet still had his eyes tightly shut, his curiosity not getting the better of him. A smile tugged at Kakashi's lips as he realized Iruka was the first person who hadn't tried to peek just to catch a glimpse of his unmasked face. It was such a surprising discovery, Kakashi found himself nodding his head against the chuunin's without moving to rearrange the dark material.

Feeling Kakashi's head move against his own, Iruka could only guess the jounin had yet to regain the ability to speak. Slowly opening his eyes, blinking several times to focus his gaze, Iruka quickly lost his momentary control over his own breathing as he found his line of vision traveling from Kakashi's visible eye, all the way down his face, realizing that his view was unbroken by the customary mask.

Brown eyes focused on the man's pale skin, taking in the long nose that was slightly bent from multiple breaks, which only added to the jounin's already good looks. His eyes then traveled to lips, moist and swollen from their heated kiss, that were parted in an uneven smile, revealing a row of the most perfect teeth to ever grace a person's mouth. Sitting back so he could take in all of the man's features at once, Iruka found his gaze widening as he, for the first time in his life, began hyperventilating.

The man who had just kissed him with such passion that Iruka's body screamed for more, was the same person now leaning towards him. He was the man who had annoyed Iruka relentlessly for years – the one who was surprisingly clumsy if his past few head injuries were any indicator. He was the one who had taken Iruka out because of a stupid bet with Gai, of all people. He was the one who Naruto worshiped, who was respected by everyone who knew his name. The man before him was the same one who had awoken feelings in Iruka that the teacher never knew he possessed before.

It was that same man who let out an airy chuckle, that crooked smile deepening as those perfect teeth gingerly bit down on his lower lip in a strangely endearing display of nervousness. Recalling their all too brief kiss, Iruka felt his jaw drop as he slowly realized that it was this very man who had made those delicious sounds that had sent shivers of pleasure down the teacher's back.

Seeing the slight tinge of pink come to those impossibly pale cheeks, Iruka felt his heart skip a beat. Never before in his life had he seen someone so handsome – so beautiful. No, not even those terms could fully describe the jounin, whose visible eye was studying Iruka for some kind of reaction other than his panicky gasping for air. Iruka's eyes widened as he realized that it was this devilishly gorgeous creature before him that, if one wanted to be technical, could be considered his _boyfriend_.

Without so much as a warning, Iruka fainted.

--

Authoress: Kuku…poor Iruka…anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!!

B.Z.: ..... LMFAO!!!!!!!!!! Iruka freaking FAINTED! That's hilarious!

Authoress: Thanks everyone for putting up with my lateness in updating this story…and, of course, a huge thanks goes to B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter! So, please review and, until next time, ja ne!


	13. Chapter Twelve

Authoress: YOSH! I'm back again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…but it would be amazing if I did…

**Chapter Twelve**

Kakashi never knew his own reflexes were so quick, especially when his entire body hummed with desire. He had somehow made it over the desk and was able to catch the brunet far before he was in any danger of hitting the ground. Easily shifting the teacher's weight in his arms, the jounin could only stare down at the man curiously. What could have possibly made Iruka pass out? Perhaps it was his sleepless night… but Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that, for the first time in his life, he had experienced something that otherwise only happened in his beloved Icha Icha series. He had finally seen someone swoon.

--

Iruka slowly came back into consciousness as he felt something cool press against his forehead. It was deliciously cold in comparison to his skin, which felt like it was on fire. Probably from mortification more than anything else, he realized as he took a deep breath. It wasn't every day he passed out, much less after kissing a sex god incarnate. Now that he mentioned it - how dare Kakashi be some kind of gorgeous creature that made every other human pale in comparison!? It was plain unfair that no one knew of his beauty because of that damnable mask. It should be burned.

Forgetting the cold object moving along his forehead, Iruka momentarily growled, hating irony. That blessed coolness disappeared abruptly, and Iruka found himself blushing at the words that he heard originating from his right side.

"Was that a growl?" the deep voice, tinged with surprise and amusement, asked with a chuckle. Apparently his attempts at feigning sleep were unsuccessful. Sighing as he cracked open an eye, Iruka was met with an upturned eye that was filled with mirth. Obviously the jounin somehow knew there were no real dark emotions behind that grumbling sound, but was more out of frustration than anything.

"Hello to you too," Iruka retorted as he slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. The room was dark, the shades pulled, but enough light glinted through for him to see the bed he was sprawled in was most certainly not his. It didn't take him long to recognize the room, considering it hadn't even been a week since the last time he had found himself in this particular place.

_Only a few days… _Iruka realized as he found his gaze constantly returning to the jounin who owned the large bed the teacher was in. It was this same man, less than a week ago, who had made that stupid bet with Gai and, for reasons that still escaped the chuunin, had focused his attentions on _him_ of all people! And, in under a week, they'd had failed attempt after failed attempt at a normal date. Kakashi had been hospitalized – and he probably should have had another visit to the emergency room after last night's interesting turn of events. At the very least, they should check the man for frostbite.

Turning his gaze back on the jounin sitting mere inches away from him, a damp cloth in his uncharacteristically ungloved hand, Iruka nearly let out a very Naruto-like eep when he realized the perverted man had not replaced his mask. No, his inhumanly handsome features were visible to all and, from the smallest smirk that came to the jounin's face as Iruka stared at him slack-jawed, the silver-haired romance novel enthusiast was very well aware of that fact.

"You aren't a morning person, are you?" Kakashi asked as his smirk turned into a blinding smile that made Iruka's dumbfounded expression turn into one of comical shock. It wasn't natural for someone to look so delicious when he was just smiling! Then again, no one had the right to look downright sinful when wearing the normally unflattering long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants of their shinobi uniform. Not to mention the man's hair was sticking up at its normal strange, gravity-defying angles, but Iruka couldn't help but be struck by how sexy it was – how it looked like he had just been through a heated bout of lovemaking… or ten… with a partner who most certainly had enjoyed every moment of it, to pull his hair in such directions. Oh God, Naruto had finally turned him to the perverted side…

It went far beyond being unfair now. Iruka wasn't even going to begin contemplating the uncomfortable tightness of his clothes as he outright stared at the jounin. Taking in the almost impossible paleness of the man's skin, Iruka was struck at how dark he was in comparison. A small part of the chuunin had to wonder how it was possible for someone to have such a light complexion that an albino would look bronze next to him. For a moment, Iruka pondered if it was possible for someone without pigments to have blue eyes and silver hair, since that was the only reason he could come up with, that logically explained the jounin's skin color. Any other idea he had dealt with a great deal of bleach.

"Are you feeling okay, Iruka?" Kakashi asked as he studied the chuunin who was all but sprawled across his bed. He hadn't been worried about the brunet's swooning earlier, but had actually quite enjoyed watching him sleep for a few hours – obviously exhausted after a sleepless night. It had been so long since he had last sat vigil at someone's bedside, the jounin couldn't recall what to do other than wipe the chuunin's forehead with cool compresses, reluctantly. He didn't want to wake the younger man up since having discovered quickly that Iruka was downright adorable when slumbering.

Unconscious, the brunet had stretched out across the bed, valiantly attempting to cover every square inch of the mattress, and for him to nearly accomplish that on a queen-sized bed was impressive. Iruka also squirmed while sleeping, flipping onto his stomach with no warning, then turning onto his back just as abruptly. He grumbled in his sleep, which Kakashi couldn't help but be amused by. Though the words were indistinguishable, the jounin had the feeling many of them were curses, from the tone of the brunet's voice.

What Kakashi most enjoyed about his viewpoint from the side of the bed was, most definitely, being able to watch the small smiles and nose twitches when the teacher wasn't cursing at something under his breath. Who knew Iruka was so damn cute when he was unconscious?

Of course, the past few hours also gave Kakashi some time to study the chuunin's body – hey, he couldn't help himself after having seen Iruka in all of his nude glory! That tanned skin was just begging to be ogled, the way it stretched across perfect muscles as the chuunin shifted in his sleep. The silver-haired shinobi couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed Iruka before – the man was a veritable god!

Perhaps god wasn't the right term. Sexy, sun-kissed, downright drool worthy… There were so many ways Kakashi could think of to describe the man. The word that was most prevalent in the Copy Nin's mind had to be, of course, astonishing. Iruka was really nothing like he let on with his stickler, obsessive-compulsive attitude. Nowhere in his stern teacher persona was there room for a walking wet dream – but now that he thought about it, Kakashi knew he would have a few fantasies about getting lessons from the 'teacher.'

Damn, he felt like some kind of randy teenager again, but he couldn't help it. The chuunin was nothing like Kakashi's usual types – the buxom blondes or thin effeminate men who, like Kakashi, were just looking for a good lay for the night. No, the brunet was most certainly not of that sort.

Physically speaking, he was a far cry from the puny men Kakashi usually went for, but the jounin found that he quite enjoyed the chuunin's well-defined frame far better. Compared to the pasty tones Kakashi was normally attracted to, the teacher was an exotic, and quite delicious, difference.

The teacher was also quite different in his personality from Kakashi's casual lovers. He was someone ruled by his emotions, unlike those who were looking for mutual pleasure. No, Iruka was most certainly the kind of person who would want a partner and not just a passing lover. That realization forced the jounin to sit back, recalling his plot for revenge that included seducing Iruka, simply to spite Gai and his demonic students. Looking at the younger man now, he felt a strange tightening in his chest when thinking about how much such a relationship would hurt Iruka.

No, Iruka was the kind of person who needed a long-term relationship with someone who could care for him – love him – as he deserved. For a moment, the jounin's heart sped up as he fancifully wondered if he could be capable of such a relationship with the brunet. Could he stand being in such a heavenly existence where he would wake up next to the beautiful chuunin every morning, and be able to make passionate love to him whenever the mood took them? At the same time, Kakashi could only wonder if he could live a life without such things.

Iruka bit his lower lip as he felt his heart race. He had thought the Copy Nin was impossibly gorgeous before, but the emotions plaguing his face tore him from the godly state and made him human. That human quality made him far more stunning than Iruka ever thought possible. The look Kakashi was now directing at him was something he couldn't possibly describe other than that he felt the urge to lean over those few inches, and kiss the wide-eyed jounin. Unable to help himself, he did just that.

Pressing his lips against the jounin's pursed ones, Iruka almost immediately lost control as Kakashi returned the kiss. The teacher quickly found himself addicted to those soft lips that opened almost hesitantly. Feeling Kakashi's tongue against his mouth, Iruka thanked whatever deity that existed that he was on the bed. Though still lying down, his knees buckled at the shiver of pleasure that ran through him, as Kakashi trailed his tongue along his lower lip so gently it left a tingling sensation in its wake.

Sucking in a breath to keep himself from whimpering, Iruka opened his mouth to that invading tongue, tentatively returning the wet pressure as the jounin brought his hands up to lace his fingers into Iruka's hair. Deepening their kiss, Kakashi found his own steely control breaking under the timid, if not slightly clumsy, attempts on the part of the teacher. Those seemingly innocent kisses shredded the jounin's willpower faster than anything else the younger man could have done.

Groaning softly into the chuunin's open mouth, Kakashi slowed his own kisses, giving the teacher time to mimic his actions. Almost as soon as Iruka mirrored his earlier act and began sucking gingerly on his lower lip, Kakashi was sure the brunet was inhumanly amazing in his lovemaking. No normal person could possibly send such shivers down Kakashi's back by simply grating their teeth along his lower lip.

Leaning forwards, Kakashi was momentarily surprised to find he was no longer on his chair next to the bed, but was on the firm mattress with the brunet. Unsure when he had unconsciously moved, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty – it wasn't often he became so focused on one thing that the world around him disappeared. Actually, the only time he was unaware of his surroundings was during a particularly juicy section of his Icha Icha novels. Never before had a person affected him thusly. That uncertainty was quickly replaced by a heady feeling, as Kakashi wondered what sex would be like with a man who could make him so distracted with a mere kiss. The mere thought of it fried a few brain cells.

Moving with a cat-like grace, Kakashi pushed Iruka back down on to the bed, easily pinning the younger man's arms over his head as he deepened their kiss. As their tongues intertwined, Kakashi shifted so that both of the teacher's wrists were captured by one strong hand, while he lowered the other to trail down the teacher's face and neck, mapping out every inch of exposed flesh that radiated with almost inhuman warmth. Sucking gently, pulling the teacher's tongue into his own mouth, Kakashi let his wandering hand slowly move down the teacher's clothed chest. Finding the hem of the thin shirt, Kakashi slipped his fingers underneath the article of clothing.

Almost as soon as the tips of his fingers brushed against the teacher's warm flesh, he could feel powerful muscles contract under his touch as Iruka let out a gasp that Kakashi happily swallowed as he continued to kiss the younger man senseless. From his years of mastering the art of lovemaking, it took no more than the blink of an eye to divest Iruka of his shirt, and it wasn't until Iruka felt a cool breeze hit his heated skin that the teacher was aware of his unclothed state. Blinded by the unfamiliar sensations racing through him, he couldn't even remember when Kakashi broke their kiss in order to pull his shirt over his head.

No longer held back by the teacher's shirt, Kakashi let his hand roam hungrily over the beautifully sculpted muscle beneath him. Reaching one hardened nipple, he took the flesh between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it and tweaking it until Iruka let out a whimper that caused Kakashi's growing erection to twitch in anticipation.

As the jounin put more weight on top of him, Iruka felt the hardened flesh press against his thigh and, slowly coming to realize what that solid length was, the teacher felt his face warm up, not in embarrassment, but something Iruka could only guess was desire. As Kakashi broke their kiss to drop his head against Iruka's neck, the teacher found himself gasping for air.

Craning his head back as the jounin trailed his tongue along his throbbing jugular, Iruka found himself wondering where such heated and pleasurable sensations would lead to next. As things stood, Kakashi was the first person to get him out of his shirt, so Iruka was uncertain what he was expected to do. He wanted to participate, but both Kakashi's powerful grip on his wrists and his own lack of knowledge held him back.

The realization that he was more than willing to continue this experience shook Iruka from his lust-filled stupor. No one had ever gotten so far with him and knowing that it was _Kakashi_ – the man who felt nothing for him, and was doing all of this for a bet – who was making him feel this way, made Iruka freeze.

"S-stop, Kakashi," Iruka was able to make out as he strained against the jounin's solid hold on his wrists. It took a moment for the jounin to finally release him, and to sit back on his heels, studying the younger man beneath him curiously.

"What's wrong, Iruka?" Kakashi asked, slightly breathless, as he tried to think of what he might have done that the teacher didn't like. He had been certain up until a moment ago that Iruka was thoroughly enjoying himself. As soon as he felt the teacher's muscles tighten underneath him, he knew he must have done something wrong. Perhaps Iruka didn't like that he was holding his hands down? Kakashi wondered if he would still be able to cling to that little shred of control he had left, if he allowed the teacher to touch him in return – it was that uncertainty that had motivated him to keep the teacher pinned down in the first place.

"I-I…" Iruka started, but found himself falling silent as he tried to think of a way to explain himself. He wasn't about to admit to the heartless jounin that he had no idea what he was doing, being a virgin with no experience of anything other than a few kisses and gropes. He couldn't possibly tell Kakashi that he knew of the bet between him and Gai, and the thought of telling the jounin that, for a brief moment, he had been stupid enough to hope that Kakashi really did like him in return. He wasn't insane enough to tell the jounin that, in a moment of insanity, he had formulated his own plot to exact revenge by seducing the jounin. No, there was no way Iruka could tell him any of those things, so instead he settled for silence as he glanced down at the jounin's chest, watching his heaving chest in slight surprise. Kakashi was amazing at acting if he could pretend to be so enamored with him that a few kisses aroused him so easily.

"It's been a while, ne?" Kakashi asked, recalling what he had learned at the ramen stand. Six years was more than a while as far as Kakashi was concerned, but the way the two civilians spoke, it seemed like Iruka had been deeply hurt by his last lover. It was no wonder that, even six years later, he was still hesitant to be with someone else.

"Un…" Iruka agreed, slowly seeing an escape that didn't include telling Kakashi any form of the truth. It was just an added bonus that, as he slowly sat up, forcing Kakashi to slide further down the bed, Iruka came up with the perfect revenge on the jounin that incorporated his earlier mission to get back at Kakashi for making such a bet in the first place.

Without another word, Iruka moved to get out of the bed, his eyes searching for his shirt. He knew that, unless he was fully clothed, he still had the chance of falling under Kakashi's seductive spell again. No, he had to find that damnable shirt first. As he shifted so that his feet dangled off the mattress, Iruka heard the jounin take in a sharp hiss of air that made him unconsciously look over his shoulder at Kakashi.

His back still facing the jounin, it took only an instant for Iruka to realize why Kakashi had let out such a surprised gasp. Even now, six years afterwards, he still cringed whenever he saw his own back in the mirror. He could only imagine what it would look like to someone like Kakashi, who had seen all kinds of fighting-related injuries. The dark mark that trailed down his spine, however, was one he had the feeling not even a person of Kakashi's experience had ever seen before – at least, not on someone who had survived the injury.

"Does it hurt?" Kakashi asked softly, as he moved towards the teacher so he was close enough to reach out and hesitantly touch the top of the mark that started between the teacher's shoulder blades and traveled down to the small of his back. Iruka furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the jounin study his back in a mixture of respect and fascination. Whatever he had been expecting from Kakashi, it wasn't this. Perhaps a question as to where he had received such a near-fatal injury, but not the compassionate query on whether or not his back still caused him pain.

"After six years, I've gotten used to it," Iruka replied, strangely trusting Kakashi enough to tell the man his back was still a source of pain after all this time, but not able to trust the man enough to tell him that, at any given moment, his back was in absolute agony. It was a fact he would never reveal to anyone, especially not to Naruto. The blonde would feel like it was somehow his fault Iruka had been injured, no matter how much Iruka tried to deny it.

_Six years… _Kakashi inwardly repeated, recalling what the ramen stand's owner and his daughter had revealed to him. _'Nearly killed poor Iruka.' _Ayame's words rung in the jounin's ears as he started to realize that she wasn't being metaphorical with that statement. Six years ago, Iruka's lover must have almost succeeded in killing the kind-hearted teacher, for reasons Kakashi couldn't begin to guess.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi, for the first time in his life, found himself apologizing when he had no idea what it was exactly he was apologizing for. Was it for Iruka's bastard of a boyfriend who had nearly killed him? Or was it that Iruka was left horribly scarred? That he was forced to deal with the painful reminder of such a betrayal? No, it was because Kakashi didn't know Iruka well enough to know that the younger man had been so badly hurt that even now, six years later, he still found any kind of intimacy difficult. Seeing the confused look Iruka gave him, Kakashi knew the teacher was similarly wondering over his sudden apology. "I didn't mean to push you into doing anything you didn't want to."

Iruka had to look away to hide the conspiratorial smirk that came to his face, as Kakashi unknowingly went along with the teacher's plans for revenge. The jounin was playing into his hands so amazingly well, it took everything he had to keep himself from chuckling evilly. For a moment, Iruka sent up a prayer of thanks that he had been a trickster as a child. He would have made a great actor, but he much preferred his talents put towards his pranks, and it was that acting ability that allowed him to plaster on a serious, if not slightly hesitant expression, as he turned to look back at Kakashi. "Would you mind… if we… well…" Iruka, continuing his ploy, rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the scarred tissue in his back tighten. He was never one to play with others' sentiments, but Kakashi deserved the twinge of empathic pain Iruka knew he would feel, as the jounin watched the muscles underneath the scar visibly cramp with that little movement.

"Took things slow?" Kakashi finished curiously, guessing where Iruka's request was leading towards. The teacher nodded his head, which sent another twinge down the muscles in his back that made Kakashi wince as he tried to imagine what kind of constant pain the teacher must be in. Unable to help himself, Kakashi cracked the barest of smiles as he shook his head. "I don't mind," he answered Iruka's unspoken question. For everything the younger man had obviously gone through with his last lover, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a wave of self-recrimination when he recalled his own motives for trying to seduce the teacher. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if it would be so bad if he found himself truly falling for the brunet, like Gai had suggested he do. If he were to do the impossible and fall in love with someone, Kakashi had the feeling it would have to be someone as obviously emotionally-crippled as himself.

"Thank you," Iruka all but whispered, inwardly wondering why it was so easy to get Kakashi to go along with his plot – not that the jounin knew anything about his vindictive reasoning behind wanting their relationship to move at a slow pace. He could only imagine there would be only so much teasing Kakashi could take, before he finally gave up on this silly bet of his – or Iruka was able to pull off the ultimate prank and get Kakashi to fall in love with him. The darker side of the chuunin couldn't help but find the irony of Kakashi falling for him to be deliciously sweet.

"Will you do something for me, then?" Kakashi asked, noticing immediately how the teacher's back tightened at his words. From the surprised look that Iruka directed at him, the younger man obviously expected some kind of perverse request to come out of his mouth. "Lay down on the bed." A raised eyebrow from the teacher made Kakashi chuckle, as he shook his head at the unspoken question he could read in Iruka's eyes. He wasn't going to ask for some kind of sexual favor mere moments after agreeing to take their relationship slowly. "On your stomach," he clarified as he shifted so that the teacher could move back into the center of the bed.

Iruka gave him another suspicious look, but did as he was asked, folding his arms underneath his chin as he waited for whatever the jounin had planned. He was fully expecting the jounin to go back on his word, but was stunned when all he felt were hands touch his back so gently, it seemed impossible that those same fingers belonged to the powerful jounin that the entire village revered.

A delicious shiver went down the teacher's back when he felt the jounin begin to massage the tightly corded muscles of his shoulders. It had been so long since anyone had dared to touch him like this that it was a welcome surprise as the older man simply began to work out the tightly knotted muscles in his back. His movements were those of someone accustomed to giving massages, but at the same time, they were somehow uncertain. It didn't take more than a moment for Iruka to realize that the jounin was doing his best to avoid any area in his back that had been injured by Mizuki's attack, instead working on the muscles that were uninjured, but still pained him, simply by their close proximity to those that had been shredded by the shuriken.

Kakashi found himself biting his lip as he concentrated on following the twisted chakra pathways that his Sharingan revealed. Never before had he seen such a horrible jumble of chakra and tissue that he was left with a headache as he tried to follow the pathways and understand how they had come to exist.

He had enough medical knowledge to know that each physical injury left a mark on a person's chakra pathways. The very energy itself bent in order to supply the injured area with a heightened flow that promoted healing. The worst injuries he had seen had a node or two where chakra had needed to pool in order to heal the wound, but to his Sharingan – and to anyone with the Byakugan or other similar capabilities – the only things that could be seen were the blinding trail of chakra that seeped down the teacher's spine, and the spider-like web of energy that emanated from it. It was no wonder Iruka was in pain – from the amount of chakra pooling in his back, the teacher more than likely felt like his back was on fire every waking moment.

Working slowly, Kakashi continued to massage the uninjured muscles that still pained Iruka, simply because of the maze of chakra that crossed over them, but most of his attention was focused on starting to bleed that excess chakra out of the teacher's back. The ability to suck another person's chakra was a wonderful one for offensive attacks on enemies, but it was one that Kakashi had never before tried on someone without any harmful intentions. It was a slow and difficult process, which was why he hardly used it even in fighting an enemy, but as Iruka sighed contentedly beneath him, Kakashi found his concentration sharpening so that the only thing he was aware of was the man beneath him. As he worked, Kakashi began moving his hands out along the teacher's arms and sides, forcibly pulling the chakra pathways apart and relocating them at more normal positions that would hopefully not pain Iruka as much.

Kakashi found that the chakra could only be pulled so far before it snapped back to its original position, causing the teacher's back to twinge in pain, his muscles cramping for several moments until Kakashi worked the knotted muscle out again. Doubting Iruka had any idea what he was doing – his work being very subtle and delicate – the jounin could only hope that Iruka ignored the small spasms, under the assumption they were a normal side-effect of his injury.

He didn't mean to do anything without the teacher's permission – especially something as intricate and invasive as reworking his chakra pathways – but Kakashi knew that the teacher would never let him do such a thing if he had asked. Iruka's pride was something of legend and there was no chance he would agree to let anyone help him, even if it had the chance to reduce, if not completely erase, his pain. The jounin could only guess that, given time and multiple attempts like this, the teacher's chakra pathways might be returned to normal, but if Iruka ever knew what he was doing, there would be no way for him to repeat his actions. No, he remained silent, as he finally started feeling confident enough to gingerly touch the raised scar tissue under which mangled muscle and a river of chakra lay.

It was some time before Kakashi found himself leaning back, reluctantly removing his hands from the teacher's warm skin. Sitting back on his heels, the jounin felt drained. It wasn't often that he worked with chakra for extended periods of time, and his exhaustion showed how out of shape he truly was, if he could only last a short while. By his best guess, not even a half hour went by, but as he glanced over at the room's only clock, he was amazed to see that nearly four hours had passed.

Running a hand down the teacher's back to check for any spots he might still have the strength to work on, Kakashi found no such area. Shifting so that he could see the brunet's face, the jounin couldn't help the upturn of the corners of his lips, when he saw the peaceful expression on the slumbering man's features. Compared to four hours ago, Kakashi could already see a difference in the man's face. No longer was there a slight tightness around his eyes, which was the only indication that he was in constant pain. Now he looked years younger and far more content than Kakashi had ever seen someone look. Almost as though he knew he was being watched, the teacher snuggled up against the pillow he was laying on, the barest hints of a smile coming to his face.

Seeing that curve of the younger man's lips, Kakashi tried to ignore his own response, but he couldn't stop his heart from racing momentarily as he looked down at the teacher. Shaking his head, the jounin slid from the bed without disturbing the chuunin and, deciding to try his luck, Kakashi slowly shifted Iruka so that he could wrestle the blankets out from underneath the tanned shinobi and pulled them up over his sleeping form.

With that, Kakashi took one of the unused pillows from the bed and made his way to his living room, only to remember halfway there that he and Naruto had destroyed his couch the other day in their race around his apartment. Huffing at his own bad luck, Kakashi snagged the feathery comforter off his bed, that Iruka most certainly wouldn't miss and, picking what he hoped to be the most comfortable spot on his floor, laid down for the night. It was too bad. Kakashi was certain he wouldn't get much sleep, when the feel of Iruka's warm skin was still etched in his fingertips, and memories of the teacher's masterful kisses were still burning in his mind.

--

Kakashi was wrenched from sleep, and the particularly steamy dream of a brunet and a lifetime supply of miso ramen that accompanied it, as a loud clatter of noise echoed around him. And it was finally getting to the point Iruka was going to let him have some ramen, damn it! After all that begging on his part, he deserved those limp noodles, fed to him by the overly-possessive teacher… Kakashi quickly shook such insane thoughts from his head, before he started wondering exactly how far gone he truly was.

Cracking open an eye, Kakashi glanced around his room, or at least what he surmised was his room, though he had to admit that this particular point of view was one he had never woken up to before. It took him another few moments to realize that his perspective was unfamiliar because this had to be the first time he could recall falling asleep on his own floor. Sitting up, the jounin winced as his back tightened in pain.

He was slow to stand up, stretching out the offended muscles of his back until the last reminders of his poor choice of a sleeping spot left him. Glancing over at his clock, it took Kakashi a moment of outright bleary-eyed staring at the two hands, to realize that the clock did not say 12:30, but 6:00. Blinking a few times, the jounin found himself unable to comprehend that it was possible he – for the first time in his life – was awake before ten o'clock.

"Good morning!" Kakashi nearly gave the brunet a death glare, as the younger man – with far more energy than any one person deserved at this ungodly hour – all but bounced into the room. The jounin couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve this particular hell.

"It's six in the morning…" Kakashi grumbled, revealing in a few words that he was most certainly not the morning person the brunet apparently was, after he got a good night's sleep. Shuffling across the room, Kakashi slipped into his unoccupied bed and was mere moments from going back to sleep when he felt something press against his cheek. It didn't take him more than a second of wide-eyed staring to realize the teacher had leaned over and kissed him, somehow not sensing his deadly aura moments before. Any anger Kakashi felt towards the younger man dissipated at the teacher's next words.

"Thank you for last night," Iruka said softly as he stood back up, smiling down at the jounin now eyeing him suspiciously. "My back feels so much better… I-I…" At those stammered syllables, Kakashi caught the barest of blushes creep into the teacher's cheeks. _Damn all cute teachers to hell… _Kakashi found himself thinking as he felt his own chest tighten in response. "I made you breakfast… I thought you might like eating something before you meet Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura…" Those words were laced with such hope and other fuzzy emotions, Kakashi found himself far too sleep-deprived to even start trying to name them; the jounin could only glare at the teacher in disbelief. Seeing that innocent smile that beckoned him, it was a moment before he and his newfound conscience followed the teacher out into the kitchen, and to the first breakfast he had eaten in nearly twenty years.

--

Iruka hummed to himself and, sure no one was out this early in the morning in order to see him, he did a little victory dance. It was pure genius on his part to start clattering around the jounin's kitchen at five in the morning, finally able to rouse the comatose shinobi after an hour of clanging pots and pans together. It was actually somewhat disconcerting at how long it took Kakashi to wake up. One would think that jounin of Kakashi's standing slept with one eye open, but the silver-haired man was like the dead!

He was certain it was divine inspiration to con that promise out of Kakashi. The man had all but happily agreed to meet with his team on time this morning, so long as Iruka promised to, from the next day on, let Kakashi wake up on his own accord. It was more along the lines of Kakashi begging him to let him sleep 'for the love of all things holy,' but Iruka still wormed the promise out of Kakashi. Now, as for his meddlesome son, who Iruka had the feeling had, along with his two teammates, something to do with the past week of increasingly strange occurrences when it concerned Kakashi. In order to get back at the blonde, Iruka had already woken the boy up, and betted with him that today would be the day that Kakashi would finally show up to practice on time. Five meals paid for by the loser… it was a bet that Naruto was too tired to be suspicious of, but hungry enough that his inner ramen-addict jumped at the opportunity without a second thought.

All but cackling, Iruka let himself into his apartment and quickly changed into a clean uniform, before he set out towards the academy. As he walked along the familiar pathways, Iruka found himself stretching this way and that, but none of the expected back pain came. He had been completely truthful when he had thanked Kakashi and said his back felt better, but Iruka had been entirely expecting that painless feeling to wear off by now.

Whatever it was that Kakashi had done, it was something that went far beyond a simple back massage, but Iruka didn't have it in him to be mad at the jounin for not asking his permission before doing whatever it was that he had done. Last night, he had caught a glimpse of another side of the jounin, that made Iruka start wondering if his whole plot for revenge was one he would, in the end, be able to carry out.

Feeling his determination waiver, Iruka shook his head several times in hopes of ridding himself of the warmer feelings he had once had for Kakashi. No, that childish crush of his had been dashed, but whatever it was now being replaced by was something that Iruka didn't want to even begin naming, in case it turned out that Kakashi was actually the compassionate, understanding man he had made himself out to be last night.

--

"HOLY SHIT!!" Sasuke twitched, his head reeling from the loud screech his teammate let out. He had heard Naruto loud before, but who would have guessed that, until that exclamation, the blonde was whispering in comparison? After a few seconds of clutching his throbbing head, the Uchiha felt steady enough to look up to see what had gotten his boyfriend to screech so loudly, at nine in the morning, no less. One would have expected that the Ramen God Naruto was always singing about had finally paid his respects to his most devout worshiper, but what his eyes came in contact with was something far more impressive than a being that could create ramen with just a thought.

"K-kakashi-sensei?" Unconsciously, the Uchiha lifted an arm as if about to touch the jounin to make sure he was real, but Naruto beat him to it, pinching their teacher several times to make sure he wasn't some sort of hallucination the two teens were sharing. Glancing over to the third member of their team, Sasuke could clearly see Sakura was also seeing the same scene unfold before them.

"Maa… What are the three of you staring at me for?" Kakashi asked, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to shake the feeling that his students were about ready to have heart attacks. Was he really late that often, that the teens thought he was incapable of being somewhere on time? Of course, had it not been for Iruka waking him up at six in the bloody morning, he would still be happy snuggled in his bed, and wouldn't rouse for at least two or three more hours. Damn Gai, damn WASABI, damn his students, but most of all, damn the cute brunet who had left his apartment this morning, with nothing more than a gentle kiss on his lips and a smile that did strange things to Kakashi's chest, not to mention his lower body.

"Y-you're… on time…" Sakura was the first to whisper as her two teammates stared at him slack-jawed. The look Naruto was giving him was perhaps the most disconcerting – it looked like someone had just killed the boy's puppy… or told him that ramen went extinct. Either way, Kakashi had the feeling Naruto was working himself up towards another shout, so he moved to cover his ears, gesturing that the other two somewhat sane members of his team should do the same.

"IRUKA, YOU BASTARD!! YOU KNEW!!" Naruto screeched at no one in particular, before letting out a sob and attaching himself to Sasuke's side. "Teme, you gotta help me! Iruka-sensei tricked me and now I've sold my soul to hiiiiiiim!!"

That comment got Kakashi to raise his eyebrow, as he studied the blonde who had his legs wrapped around Sasuke's middle and his arms around the older teen's neck. Had it not been for the sniffling, it would have made for a very erotic image, but at the moment, Kakashi could only stare at the blushing Uchiha with happy thoughts of blackmail.

"I bet him five meals that Kakashi would be late!!" Naruto explained between sobs that strangely sounded like 'my beloved ramen,' but Kakashi couldn't be sure since the teen's words were muffled as he buried his head into Sasuke's neck. Oh, Kakashi was going to use this to get back at Sasuke and the others, for being the little demons they were…

Thinking about Naruto's bet for a moment, Kakashi felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards. And he thought he was the only one who liked to toy with the teens! His respect for Iruka just skyrocketed as he realized that the teacher had played them all in order to get Naruto to pay for his ramen addiction. Who would have thought someone so cute and seemingly kind-hearted could be so deliciously devious? It was enough to make the jounin wish his practice was over, so that he could go and do some 'research' on the fascinating teacher. It just so happened that, at the moment, his idea of research more resembled stalking. The term stalking reminded Kakashi too much of Sakura, Ino, and the other crazed girls who were after Sasuke – it was too off-putting for the jounin.

"Practice is cancelled," Kakashi stated as he turned to leave the trio before Naruto became too excited at Sasuke's silent agreement to help him. As things stood, it looked like Sasuke was one exuberant kiss away from dragging the blonde back to his lair and ravishing him. Before Kakashi's words even registered with the only female presence in the group, Sasuke was off, carrying Naruto in what Kakashi and Sakura both knew to be the direction of the Uchiha mansion.

"So, you're off to the academy, ne?" Sakura asked intuitively as she eyed her sensei. The withering look she received was enough to tell her she was completely right in guessing Kakashi's intentions. Gesturing for the jounin to wait one moment, she dug around in her pouch before pulling out a small book. Kakashi studied the soft-cover book for a moment, seeing that there was no title on its shockingly pink cover. Flipping it open, the jounin was quick to realize why, when he finally found the title page.

_The Greatest Show of Affection: The Truth and the Stigma of Stalking_

Kakashi didn't even want to ask why the kunoichi carried such a book on her at all times, but from the worn look to the pages, it had come in handy quite often. Instead of speaking – and more than likely showing how disturbed he was at his student's aid – he tucked the book away in his jacket and nodded to her, before transporting himself to the roof of the academy.

For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, Kakashi poured over the small book that went in depth on how, not only to follow someone, but gave numerous ideas for gifts and dates, what kinds of facts one should know, etcetera. It was almost as though someone had written a handbook just for the jounin so that he could perfect this farce of his and seduce Iruka in order to win his bet with Gai.

Flipping to the last pages, Kakashi found the list of things he should first find out about the "object of his affections." There were simple things, such as his favorite color – and Sakura had already written in the margin, 'blue'. Kakashi could only assume that the scribbled words were ones that applied to Sasuke, but as he continued to read and found the questions getting increasingly interesting, he found himself wondering how the hell his student had found such things out about her stoic teammate.

_Favorite fantasy?_ Kakashi raised his eyebrow as he tilted the book enough to read Sakura's answer to the suggestive question. _Making love on the kitchen table._ Strangely, Kakashi found himself nodding at her answer. It peculiarly did seem to suit Sasuke. It wasn't dirty or kinky enough to suit the jounin's perverse tastes, but for the seemingly wholesome Uchiha…it was quite a dark little secret. Now, for Iruka's fantasy… Kakashi had no idea how to go about discovering that one, but he was not about to go ask his student how she had determined Sasuke's hidden desires. It was strange enough Sakura was voluntarily helping him with his research – not to mention her and the others' not so gentle nudges in, what they considered to be, the right direction. A part of the jounin was still trying to figure out how they hoped to help matters by stuffing him with aphrodisiacs, then letting him loose on the poor, unsuspecting teacher.

"Oi, Kakashi… You might as well come down and help us train if you have nothing better to do than read." Hearing that voice, Kakashi's grip on Sakura's book slipped, and the jounin found himself fumbling to catch his reading material, then stuff it back in his jacket before anyone noticed it was not his customary romance novel.

Peering down off the edge of the roof, Kakashi saw the bronzed brunet staring back up at him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. As soon as he saw those lips, Kakashi had no chance of escape. Slipping down off the academy's roof, Kakashi moved to stand before the younger man, who only eyed him momentarily before turning back to his sea of demonic spawn.

"Now, everyone, pay attention. Kakashi-sensei has agreed to help us with our taijutsu training." The teacher continued, but Kakashi all but froze when he heard what exactly he had somehow agreed to. Taijutsu – it was normally not that bad of a thing, especially when it gave him a chance to beat Naruto into the ground, but Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how he could possibly help Iruka and the pre-pubescent monsters now swarming around him. Feeling a tug on the back of his pants, Kakashi turned and found himself looking down into the biggest pair of green eyes he had ever seen and, right then and there, a part of the hardened jounin died.

Kakashi felt a panic attack coming on as he looked around and found the children were all as small and, strangely, adorable as the little girl now attaching herself to his thigh. Fighting the urge to shake her off, Kakashi instead looked to the brunet for guidance. When he saw the outright smirk on the teacher's face, Kakashi saw that he had again been played.

"Alright, everyone. The one to pin Kakashi-sensei gets extra credit on this morning's pop quiz!" Those words brought Kakashi back to the present, and the jounin had to bite back a whimper as he realized the implications of what Iruka had just said. With no more warning than that, Kakashi found himself swallowed up by the children.

Even when training with his team and those bells, Kakashi never found himself having to move as quickly as he did now. The children were everywhere and the jounin had to somehow stay one step ahead of them, knowing that if he were to act on instinct, one of those little monsters would end up severely hurt.

Kakashi didn't even try to turn the children to his side, mutiny, and go after their own teacher. He didn't have the time to even suggest such a thing, as he climbed up a tree that was out of reach of the pint-sized brats. Sitting down on one of the highest branches, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Iruka had the youngest group of children in the academy. They were still at least a year away from learning how to effectively climb trees.

The jounin froze when he heard the children's laughter change into a unified cry directed at their teacher. "Get him, Iruka-sensei!" It was akin to a death sentence. Kakashi cringed as he prepared himself to ward off the handsome teacher, who had somehow sucked him into playing babysitter with the children.

"They aren't bad for six and seven year olds, ne?" Iruka asked calmly as he appeared at Kakashi's side. Relaxing when he saw that the brunet didn't mean to attack him, Kakashi shifted in order to give the teacher a spot to sit, as he nodded his head.

"Fast little brats… I don't know how you deal with them every day," Kakashi admitted as he watched Iruka gracefully sit down next to him. His words made the teacher smile pleasantly, but Kakashi could also see something else in the younger man's eyes that made him realize that he had struck a nerve.

"They really are wonderful. Sometimes a little rambunctious, but nothing compared to what I used to be – or what Naruto was," Iruka replied with a chuckle. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you about our training. I just don't have the heart to fight any of them. I'm used to older children and this is my first year with their age group… I'm afraid I might crush one of them by accident. The only little kid I've ever wrestled with is Naruto… but he doesn't really count, since he is…" Iruka trailed off, unsure how to describe his beloved son.

"Indestructible?" Kakashi suggested as he studied the teacher. Recalling the times he had fought Naruto – and the injuries that would have been fatal to a normal person – Kakashi could understand Iruka's unease when it came to fighting his small students. "Why did you take such young students this year?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask when he saw the discomfort in Iruka's eyes.

"I guess because my students just seem to grow up so quickly, when I only teach them for a year or two. At least this way, I work with them for six years," Iruka replied with a sigh. "Naruto's already sixteen… I have other students who are nearly in their twenties…"

"Who's feeling old now?" Kakashi questioned jokingly as he studied the teacher. Seeing the quick smile come to the younger man's face, Kakashi felt a strange wave of emotion hit him. Somehow, he understood it wasn't so much the age of Iruka's old students, but the fact they were now adults – they were jounin, ANBU, and other high ranking shinobi who had every chance of being outlived by their academy teacher.

Without thinking, Kakashi leaned over and brushed his masked lips against the teacher's temple. "Think how I feel – in a few years, I'll probably be calling Naruto 'Hokage'," he commented in hopes of lightening the mood, which he succeeded in when Iruka turned to look at him with a glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes.

"At least, no matter how old he gets, some things will never change," Iruka replied with a smile. "I was sneezing up a storm this morning… I guess he's already been cursing me for our bet."

"He said you stole his soul," Kakashi replied, recalling his student's outburst this morning. "Sasuke is apparently going to help him pay off your little bet." The jounin wasn't sure how he should tell Iruka that it was highly likely right now Sasuke was playing out that fantasy of his, destroying his kitchen table as he fucked Naruto until neither teen could stand. Put that way, he didn't know if he would even try to tell Iruka such a thing. It might be easier to just say that Naruto and he were lovers – at least that way, Kakashi could avoid the awkward moment of trying to explain why he knew Sasuke dreamt of using his kitchen table as a makeshift bed.

"I'm happy for both of them," Iruka said softly as he glanced over at the jounin, seeing the surprise in Kakashi's visible eye. "They've had feelings for each other since they were kids. I'm glad they finally told each other how they feel…"

"Why do I get the feeling you're a bit of a hopeless romantic, Iruka?" Kakashi asked, meaning to joke with the academy teacher, but his words took on a ring of seriousness when he caught a glimpse of the brunet's face. For a moment, Kakashi couldn't help wondering if he was right, and Iruka truly was waiting for that happily ever after with his soul mate. Something warmed in the jounin as he realized that Iruka had been alone for six years, but had – against all odds – agreed to go out with him. Was it possible that the teacher had some reason for it? Did he harbor some kind of feelings for Kakashi that the jounin had done nothing to deserve?

Kakashi didn't give those ideas a second thought, as he hooked a finger over the edge of his mask, pulling the annoying material down, before he crushed his lips against the teacher's. What was supposed to be a quick, mind-blowing kiss for the teacher quickly switched roles, and Kakashi found himself unable to think as Iruka returned his kiss, his long fingers winding into Kakashi's hair.

Trailing his tongue along the chuunin's lips, Kakashi felt a wave of pleasure ripple through him as Iruka shifted, somehow ending up in his lap. With those strong legs straddling him, any and all intelligent thought fled from Kakashi's mind, as he ran his hands up the teacher's back and shoulders, finally reaching the younger man's scalp. Weaving his fingers into the silken hair, Kakashi tilted the teacher's head back as he nipped and licked his way down the man's tanned neck. Iruka let out a muffled whimper as he craned back, giving Kakashi more access to his exposed skin.

"K-Kakashi… my s-students are right below us…" Iruka gasped, but the teacher didn't move from his position on Kakashi's lap. Instead, he bucked slightly when he felt the older man bite down, right above his collar bone. It wasn't the pain Iruka had been expecting, but a jolt of blinding pleasure that made him jump, and the sound Kakashi let out in response was one that only served to send another enjoyable shock down the teacher's back. The sound, somewhere between a growl and a groan, was one that Iruka would have never expected from someone legendary for his emotionless persona, but the possessive and arousing noise Kakashi emitted was certainly one that surprised Iruka. It took only another moment of sitting in the jounin's lap, for Iruka to feel exactly why his quick movement had caused Kakashi to groan.

"Kakashi!" Iruka eeped, shifting so that the older man's erection was not pressing so hard into his thigh that Iruka was certain he would be left with bruises. In retaliation to his small, but impossibly seductive movements, Kakashi sucked harder on the teacher's neck, not trusting his own mouth to be uncovered. He had the feeling that if he let go of the teacher's slightly salty skin, he would embarrass himself far more than he thought possible. It only worsened matters that not even twenty feet below them, was an entire class of innocent children waiting for their teacher to come back out of the tree.

Swirling his tongue in circles against the teacher's already abused flesh, Kakashi let his fingers start to run through Iruka's hair, loosening the band that held those chestnut strands up. As the teacher's hair fell to frame his flushed face, Kakashi raked his teeth one last time across Iruka's bronze skin.

Finally sitting back to look at his handiwork, Kakashi inwardly sniggered. The dark mark that was highly visible even on Iruka's tanned skin, was one that would most certainly take weeks to fade. It only took Kakashi another moment to wonder why he was so pleased with himself for marking the teacher where anyone could see. He had never given anyone a hickey where it couldn't easily be covered up, but a part of him was beyond happy that everyone and anyone would see the mark on Iruka's neck, and know he was taken.

For the first time in his life, Kakashi was hit with a wave of possessiveness for someone else. It was one thing to lay claim to his Icha Icha novels or another inanimate object, but to do so to another person… it made the jounin shiver slightly in desire.

"I-I have to be getting back to my class…" Iruka said quietly, his voice wavering breathlessly as he tried to sit back, but Kakashi captured his lips in what began as an innocent kiss, but quickly turned into the mating of tongues and sucking of one another's lips. It was something that made both men gasp for air as they forced themselves to break away from one another.

"Dinner?" Kakashi asked, not trusting himself to say anything else. Running his moistened lips along the teacher's strong jaw, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if he had ever met anyone else whose skin was as addictive as Iruka's. That tanned flesh was salty with sweat, but it was also impossibly smooth and warm. It was enough to make Kakashi's entire body erupt in barely contained desire. "Tonight," he finally added after taking a few shaky breaths, as he laid his forehead against the teacher's shoulder.

"How about I cook?" Iruka suggested as he innocently leaned back on Kakashi's lap, having no idea how his lower body teasingly brushed against the jounin's throbbing erection. Kakashi bit back a groan, quickly nodding his head before the teacher got any more ideas on ways to torture him with what Kakashi had assured himself was feigned innocence. And that feeling of inexperience was beyond sexy to the jounin.

"What time?" Kakashi asked as he reluctantly lifted the teacher from his lap, depositing Iruka far enough away from him on the tree branch that they weren't touching, and the jounin's mind could clear the hazy fog of desire. Their conversation last night on taking their relationship slowly was starting to rise in the back of his mind, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if insanity could sneak up on a person. If not, then he was starting to hate his own conscience, because it was keeping him from performing a transportation jutsu and throwing Iruka to his bed, where he could properly reenact his many fantasies with the younger man. Instead, Kakashi ground his teeth together and tried to will away his erection.

"Seven?" Iruka studied the jounin for a moment, noting the tightness to his perfectly sculpted jaw. It didn't take the teacher long to realize that Kakashi was trying to control himself. Smiling at the jounin – a part of him giddy over how well his plans of seduction were working, another side pleased that Kakashi was keeping to their agreement from last night – Iruka leaned over and pecked him on his clenched jaw. "See you then, Kakashi." Fighting back the urge to cackle menacingly, Iruka slid from the tree branch, landing on the ground below gracefully.

Glancing back up into the tree, he could see that Kakashi had already disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he looked around and saw his students crowding around him. All of them had wide eyes, but what made Iruka uneasy was the way several were pointing at him.

"Iruka-sensei, you lost?!" One of the children cried.

"Huh?" Iruka only stared in confusion until he recalled that he and Kakashi were supposed to be 'wrestling' up in the tree. Remembering that, he could only wonder why his students so quickly assumed that Kakashi had bested him. He really wasn't as weak as everyone made him out to be. Even against someone like Kakashi, Iruka could probably hold his own for a short time.

"What happened to your ponytail, Iruka-sensei?!"

"Kakashi-sensei bruised you!"

"We'll get him next time, Iruka-sensei!"

"Yea! We'll protect you!"

Hearing several similar exclamations, Iruka smiled. Sometimes his students were too adorable for words, but realizing that they still believed he had lost to Kakashi, he recalled their comment on the apparent lack of his ponytail. Recalling Kakashi's wandering hands, Iruka quickly moved to pull out an extra hair band and put his uncharacteristically loose hair back up before the students got any ideas.

Looking around, he saw that several of his older students were pointing at him. Remembering their comment about the bruise, he slowly came to realize the children's focus was on one area in particular – his neck. His eyes widened as he remembered Kakashi's fascination with his neck, if those licks and nips were any indication. With lightening-fast speed, Iruka clapped a hand over the spot Kakashi had been devoting such attention to. Iruka could only hope that six and seven year old children had no idea what a love-bite was. Praying their assumptions were just innocent ones, Iruka found his mouth dropping open as his hopes were dashed.

"That wasn't a bruise!"

"Iruka-sensei has a hickey!"

"Ew, Kakashi-sensei was kissing Iruka-sensei!"

"Is Kakashi-sensei your boyfriend, Iruka-sensei?"

Inwardly whimpering, Iruka could only wonder if death was a feasible option in order to avoid the discussion he could see coming. Glaring back up at the now vacant tree, Iruka thought of something better. If he was going down, he sure as hell was taking Kakashi with him.

Glancing back to his students and smiling in what he hoped could be construed as a love-sick look, Iruka took a deep breath. "Kakashi-sensei is my boyfriend, but you guys have to keep quiet about it. He is _very_ shy and doesn't want the entire village to know." If there was one thing Iruka had learned in his years as an academy teacher, news never traveled faster than through the mouths of babes. And, strangely enough, those rumors moved at the speed of light when they were supposed to be a secret.

Now certain that, by seven o'clock tonight, word would have spread throughout the village and, more than likely, was on its way to every other Hidden Village to exist, Iruka hummed happily to himself as he rounded up his students, and went back inside to finish their lessons for the day.

What Iruka did not foresee – and what Kakashi was not anticipating – was for the entire jounin community to hear about it long before either man had a chance to think of a way to ease the infamous curiosity of the elite shinobi. For Iruka, it meant a day of whispering and gossip mongers in the Missions Office, but for Kakashi… well, the unsuspecting jounin found himself being dragged into a dark room for another interrogation at the hands of the secretive gang WASABI.

--

Authoress: Kuku…I think I'm starting to feel really sorry for Kakashi…even though all of this is his fault to begin with…kukuku…anyways…a huuuuge thanks to B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter and doing such an amazing job with it!

B.Z.: ....ROFLMAO!!!!!!! Poor Kakashi! I actually feel really bad for him, even though his motives weren't exactly...pure... But we can tell that he really cares about Iruka. I think Iruka should re-think the revenge plan... Revenge never goes as planned.

Authoress: Kuku, just wait until next time to see their plots for revenge on one another…so, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, so please review!! Until next time, ja ne!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Authoress: I'm in a great mood this week…I am finally 21 years old!! So, as a birthday present to me...onto the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…but if I did…oh, happy days!

**Chapter Thirteen**

Kakashi grumbled, his eyes narrowing menacingly at the coffee table before him, as he shifted his position on the couch until his shoulder was no longer screaming in pain. For what seemed like the umpteenth time in an hour, he cursed Gai, damned his students to hell, and wished horrible, painful deaths on the rest of his friends. He had always thought his comrades were sane people – well, as sane as the jounin community could be – but the past week had shown him how wrong he truly was. The silver-haired man could only wonder why every single friend he had, with the exception of Gai, was part of that asinine group WASABI.

_We Against Sorry Attempts to Bed Iruka_… _morons._ Kakashi had to bite back a growl as he wondered whether or not it would help his cause to tell Iruka about his self-declared champions. A part of the jounin had to wonder if the impressive group was actually made up of Iruka's devoted minions – he was starting to get the sinking feeling that the kind-hearted teacher was quite the devious sort. And to be that scheming, he had to have minions… large, powerful, and quite insane minions.

"Dinner's ready." Speaking of the evil ruler of WASABI… Kakashi turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of the teacher moving around his small kitchen. No matter how hard he tried to shake the feeling that Iruka was at the root of this past week of hell, the image of the brunet parading around his kitchen in an apron, was one that was well worth two torture sessions, freezing showers, a concussion, being robbed by his own dog, and everything else he had been forced to deal with lately.

Kakashi made no attempt to answer, sure that his response would have just been a grumble anyways. He actually surprised himself when he realized that he didn't want to offend the teacher by taking out his anger and frustration on him. If it was anyone else, he would have already bitten their heads off several times over, but he was willing to hold his tongue when near the teacher now gesturing for him to come to the kitchen table.

It took a moment of hissing for Kakashi to maneuver himself off of the couch and, when he finally did so, he let out a sigh of relief. His cracked ribs were finally no longer sending stabbing pains throughout his torso, but his shoulder – having been dislocated earlier thanks to Ibiki – was something that was still paining him greatly. It was times like these he was exceedingly thankful for the mask covering his face and the grimace that came to his lips as he moved stiffly towards the kitchen.

If only Kakashi remembered that he had taken his mask off as soon as he entered the teacher's home in order to kiss him. Of course, that chaste kiss quickly spiraled downwards until Kakashi had pushed the teacher against a wall, plundering his mouth. Had it not been for a timer going off in the kitchen, Kakashi was sure he would have been able to convince Iruka to revoke that 'take things slow' edict. The man was just about to wrap those muscular legs of his around Kakashi's waist. Oh, and his hands! Those hands were already under Kakashi's shirt, touching every inch of bare, sensitive skin that they could reach on the jounin's back.

"Are you okay, Kakashi?" That question tore Kakashi out of his reverie and made him realize that Iruka was now standing before him with concern etched in his face. Oh, yes, he had forgotten his face was no longer covered by his mask. Kakashi was quickly reminded of that fact when Iruka let out a soft gasp, his hand going to the jounin's jaw and gingerly touching the coloring mark Kakashi knew to be there. "What happened?"

Kakashi didn't have to wonder why Iruka hadn't seen the bruise earlier. The teacher hadn't once seen his face – Kakashi hadn't given him the chance as he all but molested the younger man. When that damnable timer went off, Iruka was back to the kitchen while Kakashi stalked over to the couch in hopes of calming himself back down and fighting the urge to throw the teacher to the kitchen floor and take him then and there – orange apron still on because Kakashi wasn't sure he would have the patience to get it off.

"Fight…" Kakashi replied, sure he didn't want to tell the teacher that he had been overtaken by his best friends and dragged into a dark broom closet in order to be interrogated. Recalling how he spent his afternoon, Kakashi realized that the purpling bruise on his jaw was most certainly the work of Anko. It might not seem like it, but her right hook could be considered deadly.

"With what, a brick wall?!" Having heard Iruka screech before, Kakashi wasn't entirely surprised when that high-pitched sound came out of the man. What did amaze him, however, was the concern those words held that was directed towards him. Usually Iruka's screaming was more of the death-threat nature.

Smirking, Kakashi didn't answer the teacher's question. Instead, he took the brunet by the wrists and – for reasons he himself didn't even understand – pressed a gentle kiss into each palm. That gesture quieted the teacher far more efficiently than Kakashi ever thought possible. In all actuality, Iruka was too stunned at the jounin's actions to do anything other than follow the man and sit down at the table, his eyes still wide and his face a scarlet color.

"Um… ah…" Iruka found himself unable to come up with an intelligent thought as he watched the jounin eat. Since Kakashi disappeared earlier, leaving him with his overly curious and far too mature students, Iruka had been in a bit of daze and that sweet gesture just added to it. That fogginess finally started clearing as he surreptitiously watched the jounin as they ate.

Though he knew that the fish was quite good – he was actually able to cook something other than ramen – Iruka couldn't taste it as he observed the jounin. Kakashi's body language told him that the jounin's 'fight' was one that left him with more than a bruised jaw. If the teacher had to hazard a guess, he would say that if he took the man's shirt off, he would be met with a great deal of marks matching the one on his face.

But what kind of person would be able to fight with Kakashi and actually hit him? A punch or two, Iruka could see, since no one was perfect, but it seemed almost as though Kakashi had been ganged up on and beaten soundly. A saddened smile tugged at the teacher's lips as he recalled the number of times he had seen Naruto come home with unexplained bruises and cuts. He had gone through the same thing himself when he was the boy's age, so he could only accept Naruto's lies of falling on the stairs or running into a wall.

"It was the gang WASABI," Kakashi commented, seeing the flashes of emotions plaguing the brunet's face. For some reason, that momentary sadness he saw forced him to tell the truth. He had the feeling Iruka would not appreciate being told that he had tripped while reading his book, falling down stairs, or some other such lie to explain his injuries.

"That's the second time they've attacked you, isn't it?" Iruka asked, recalling their first failed attempt at a date. Kakashi had blamed the gang – strangely named, Iruka would admit – for keeping him from their date. He couldn't imagine why a group such as WASABI would keep going after Kakashi, especially twice in a matter of days.

"Un." Kakashi's response was more of a grunt than an actual word, but he was hoping to dissuade Iruka from asking anything else. The jounin didn't want to even try explaining why he kept meeting up with the condiment-named group. For a moment, however, he wondered how Iruka would take finding out that his adopted child was the one who started up the whole gang.

"After dinner… would you mind… if I… um…" Iruka stammered, unsure how to phrase his question. Before him sat one of the most perverse shinobi to exist and he was certain that Kakashi would take it the wrong way if he asked to touch him. No, that wasn't it! Then again, his fingers were itching to feel that alabaster skin again.

Kakashi watched Iruka have his mental debate with some interest. The range of emotions flickering in the teacher's eyes was beyond fascinating. Though being a genius and someone who prided himself on being able to read people very well, Kakashi couldn't figure out for the life of him what Iruka was trying to get at, but having so much trouble asking.

The jounin started seriously wondering if he was the only sane shinobi left in Konoha as he listened to Iruka to start grumble to himself. Of course, Kakashi had a few verbal arguments with himself, especially of late, but to hear someone else do the same when he was right next to them was slightly off-putting.

Iruka finally threw up his hands in defeat, having caught the amusement in Kakashi's visible eye. "Would you let me put something on those bruises?" Iruka asked, glowering at his plate as though it had committed some unforgivable offense. He wasn't going to mention how he wanted to let his fingers trail down the jounin's muscular torso, or how he wanted to see if Kakashi would shiver in delight as he touched every bare inch of the man. Iruka blinked twice, all intelligent thought disappearing as he realized that, in order to help with the jounin's obviously sore abdomen and chest, Kakashi would most certainly have to be shirtless.

_Shirtless!?_ If it was possible for someone to mentally faint, Iruka would have done so. Instead, he was left with the strange feeling that he was one mere pleasurable shiver away from drooling at the images he was giving himself. Coughing a few times in the hope of shaking such positively naughty thoughts from his head, Iruka couldn't help but wonder if perversion was contagious, since he had the sinking feeling the time he was spending with Kakashi was starting to corrupt him.

He was certain of that diagnosis when, as he finished his tasteless dinner and was on his way to the sink with the dishes, Iruka glanced over at the jounin and a part of him prayed that there were one or two bruises on the man's lower body that he could tend to. Scrambling to catch the plates that had slipped out of his hands at that thought, Iruka squeaked, desperately trying to shake the thought of playing doctor with the jounin from his head.

Kakashi could only watch the teacher's distress in fascination. He had the distinct feeling he had unknowingly unlocked an otherwise hidden perverse side to the teacher. A smirk came to his face as he tried to think of reasons why Iruka would be mumbling about white coats and bandages to himself with that cute blush staining his cheeks and scarred nose. Iruka might just have one or two fantasies that Kakashi wouldn't have to use his newfound stalking skills to discover.

--

Iruka wiped his hands on the dish towel several times, though he already knew his hands were completely dry. Playing with his hands was one of his worst nervous habits, but it was one that Naruto made fun of him for constantly. As he leaned back against the counter, he quickly glanced over at the jounin who was happily scrubbing away, having commandeered Iruka's least favorite chore of washing dishes.

The teacher let out a snort, struck by the domesticity of their current situation. One of the most powerful shinobi to exist standing at the sink, washing dishes, was perhaps one of the strangest things Iruka had ever seen. He snickered, wondering if Kakashi would be able to wield the soapy sponge in his hand like a weapon if need be. He had the feeling that if anyone could make the bright yellow sponge into something to be feared, it would be the famed jounin before him. Kakashi glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow curiously, but the jounin then went back to washing the last plate. Finally deeming it clean, he handed it over to Iruka who, despite his wandering mind, deftly dried the plate and put it away.

"I _can_ do chores," Kakashi stated, feigning hurt. He was sure that Iruka was sniggering over the unusual sight of him doing something as mundane as cleaning. He had to admit that, though it was rare for him to do dishes – considering he didn't cook, nor was he even in his own apartment enough to eat there – it wasn't an impossible task.

"I can see that," Iruka returned, smiling at the jounin before handing over the towel so Kakashi could dry his own hands. "Thank you for helping me," the teacher said gratefully, still mentally chuckling over thoughts of what Kakashi would call such an attack that involved the porous object. Having heard of "A Thousand Years of Pain" from Naruto, he could only imagine Kakashi would come up with an equally ridiculous title for a sponge-related attack.

"Thank you for dinner," Kakashi responded, inwardly sighing when he saw the teacher blink his eyes in surprise a few times. Was it really so strange for him to show that he actually did have manners? First his students nearly die in surprise from him being on time, now Iruka stares at him like he has three heads simply because he said 'thank you.'

"Y-you're welcome," Iruka finally stammered, flushing when Kakashi took a step towards him, revealing a perfect set of teeth as he grinned. Had it not been for the counter holding him up, he would have most certainly melted into a pile of mush on the floor simply from that one downright sinfully handsome smile. The jounin was dangerous, even without the blades, jutsu, and other weapons in his arsenal. His smile was deadly enough!

"So, about that massage you promised me?" Kakashi asked as he took another step towards the teacher, his smirk growing when he saw the stain of pink across his cheeks brighten at the reminder. If it was possible, Iruka looked even cuter than Kakashi had ever thought imaginable as he gripped the counter for dear life.

"M-Massage?!" Iruka squeaked, backing up as far as the counter would let him, as the jounin moved towards him with a predatory glint in visible eye. "I-I didn't say anything about…" Iruka gulped, recalling his own massage the night before. "A massage…"

"Hmm… but my back is very sore, Iruka-_sensei_," Kakashi pointed out, lingering on the honorific with two possible meanings. He wasn't going to tell the brunet if he meant the respectful title as that of a teacher or a doctor, but seeing the fierce blush come to Iruka's cheeks, Kakashi had a feeling which way the man took it. The thought of Iruka having doctor-related fantasies sent a wave of heat to pool in the jounin's lower body.

Doing his best to fight the shiver that went down his back, he stopped moving when he was directly in front of the chuunin. He was close enough that he could feel warmth radiating off the shorter shinobi, but what made him tremble slightly were Iruka's actions as the jounin leaned forwards. Consciously done or not, Iruka slowly licked his lips as Kakashi bent towards that source of warmth, steadying himself by putting his hands on the counter on either side of the teacher.

Involuntarily, Kakashi's breathing sped up as he bowed his head, capturing Iruka's moistened lips in a gentle kiss. The teacher responded immediately, relocating his hands on Kakashi's chest, slowly sliding his hands up and over his shoulders and to the nape of his neck. As his hands burned a heated trail across Kakashi's upper body, the teacher put more pressure into their kiss, opening his mouth and gingerly touching his tongue to Kakashi's lower lip.

Groaning, Kakashi moved closer to the brunet, pinning him against the counter before returning the seductively slow kiss. Releasing his tight grip on the countertop, Kakashi wrapped one arm around the teacher's middle while he brought the other hand up to the side of the man's neck. Brushing that tanned skin with his thumb, Kakashi could feel the brunet's pulse racing underneath his fingertips. Moving his hand to weave his fingers into the back of the teacher's hair, Kakashi deepened their kiss.

Mirroring the jounin's actions, Iruka let his fingers toy with the man's silver hair, tightening his grip as a shiver of pleasure ran down his spine. Unconsciously, he pressed against the jounin's solid frame, gasping softly when Kakashi's grip tightened around his waist, lifting him just enough to force him onto his toes.

There were few times in his life that Kakashi found himself unable to think, but as soon as he felt Iruka press flush against him, any chance at thought fluttered away. Despite the layers separating them, he could feel the teacher's muscular chest rise and fall rapidly and sense the slight quiver of muscles as Iruka tilted his head, kissing him fervently. Now at eye-level, the teacher's boldness floored Kakashi. A part of the jounin almost laughed, having never experienced someone fight him for control before.

The feel of Iruka panting against him, dominating their kiss, made Kakashi's head spin as he groaned into the teacher's mouth, submitting to that masterful tongue and its impossibly sexy owner.

Iruka loosened his grip on Kakashi's hair, moving his fingers across the jounin's neck, his jaw – every inch of the man that he could reach. As his fingers began to dip lower, toying with the hem of his shirt, Iruka felt emboldened when he swallowed a groan that erupted from Kakashi's throat. Sliding his fingers under the material, Iruka reveled in the feel of warm, taut muscles quivering against his touch.

Acting purely on instinct, Iruka trailed his fingertips up the jounin's sides, but froze when he felt a strange unevenness to the man's skin where the area seemed almost unnaturally warm. All it took to fully rip him from his blinding desire was the soft hiss that Kakashi released as he gingerly pressed against one such spot. That sound was anything but pleasurable.

Pulling away from the jounin, Iruka remembered what had started this whole interlude. Fighting the strong urge to hit the man, Iruka instead began to gingerly feel his way along the place that had obviously caused the stubborn Copy Nin pain. It didn't take him more than a moment to nearly forget that he had promised himself not to hit the already sore shinobi.

"You have broken ribs!" Had it not been for the fact he was still slightly breathless, Iruka would have screeched. Instead, his exclamation came out as something between a pant and a growl.

"Cracked, probably," Kakashi corrected hoarsely before pressing his lips back against the teacher's in hopes of continuing their earlier actions, but those pursed lips didn't soften against his own. There was no chance now for him to persuade Iruka to forget about all propriety, and play out whatever that little fantasy he was thinking about that involved bandages.

"Baka!" Iruka retorted as he pulled his hands out from underneath Kakashi's shirt and gingerly pressed against the jounin's chest in order to get him to take a step backwards. "Bed… now!" He might not have known Iruka as well as someone like Naruto, but even Kakashi knew that it wasn't a good sign when the teacher lost the ability to form full sentences. He had a feeling a perverse joke right then would almost certainly result in a slap, if not outright death, at the hands of the fuming teacher.

Kakashi slunk off towards the teacher's bedroom, trying to forget the images his mind was creating of what Iruka might do to him with the convenience of a bed nearby. Whatever Iruka was planning, it was most certainly not a continuation of their heated kiss.

Wringing his hands together, Iruka followed the jounin, his eyes studying the back of the man. It was now painfully obvious that Kakashi was experiencing discomfort – it was the first time Iruka could remember ever seeing the silver-haired man stand straight up. Despite the twinge of guilt he felt, Iruka couldn't stop himself from widening his eyes as he realized that Kakashi's chronic slouch hid the man's almost frightening height very well. He had thought Kakashi was tall before, but now that the man stood fully erect, Iruka found his jaw dropping. Kakashi had to be a good two heads taller than him and Iruka was in no way short! A part of the teacher whimpered when he realized that he would just barely reach the jounin's chest if Kakashi always walked this way.

Just his luck he decided to try seducing a sexy, lanky giant who could snap him like a twig!

Iruka sighed at the unfairness of life before slipping into the bathroom and getting his first aid kit. Toting the large box – filled with a small pharmacy's worth of medical items, because he had learned to be overly prepared after having raised Naruto on his own – he followed Kakashi into his room. Coughing timidly, Iruka looked down at his feet, wondering how he should ask the jounin to strip for him. Well, not _strip_, but take off his jacket, his shirt… and a part of Iruka wouldn't complain if other articles of clothing followed.

Kakashi turned to look at the teacher, seeing a blush creeping across the man's cheeks. He couldn't help but chuckle at the teacher's discomfort. It was obvious in Iruka's face what the teacher was thinking and, having already come to realize Iruka got embarrassed easily, Kakashi knew it would be better that he not point out that the teacher currently resembled a tomato. Admittedly, though, Iruka made a very cute fruit.

Moving stiffly, Kakashi was able to shrug off his vest and, with the familiarity of years as a shinobi, it took little more than a thought to remove all of his remaining weapons. In nothing more than a shirt and pair of pants, Kakashi felt strangely naked, but he didn't feel as uneasy as he thought he would have, being unarmed while in the presence of another shinobi.

"The shirt might be a little difficult," Kakashi commented, directing his words at no one in particular as he sat down on the edge of Iruka's bed. He had the feeling that Iruka would probably go into another blushing fit if he asked for help taking the tight piece of clothing off. It was most certainly better if the teacher came up with that on his own.

Iruka put down the large box before silently moving to help the jounin out of the long-sleeved shirt. As he slowly pulled the shirt up the tall man's torso, Iruka found himself wincing in empathy as he revealed dark marks covering the jounin's abdomen and lower ribs. Though there was no ulterior motive to his helping Kakashi with his shirt, Iruka's breathing still sped up as the tall man raised his arms in order to allow him to pull the shirt over his head and off his person entirely.

Keeping his eyes trained on the floor as he folded the shirt, and placed it on the neat pile Kakashi had made with everything else he had removed, Iruka shuffled back to his first aid kit. He and Naruto had gotten enough bruises and small breaks for him to have several bottles of ointment and a veritable sea of gauze.

As he turned back to the jounin, Iruka made the mistake of looking up from the bottle in his hand. The teacher felt his mouth go dry as his eyes drank in the image before him. Despite the dark marks coating his torso and the few scattered down his arms and up his neck, the jounin before him was, by far, the most beautiful being Iruka had ever seen.

Whatever skin wasn't varying shades of purple was the palest color Iruka had ever seen on a person. The pearly tone was one that gave the illusion that the man perched on the edge of the bed, his head bowed and his arms resting on still-clothed legs, was not a person at all, but a statue of marble. It wasn't until Iruka saw the sharp rise and fall of his chest that he remembered that before him wasn't a work of art, but a shinobi in pain. With that thought, any ideas of ogling the man for a few more moments disappeared.

Gulping, Iruka moved to kneel in front of the jounin, causing Kakashi to look up from the floor. "Maa… another date destroyed," Kakashi stated jokingly as he sat up so Iruka could start gingerly spreading the pungent ointment on the darker and more painful marks on his sides. With the first touch, Kakashi shivered not from the cold gel, but the feel of Iruka's tender fingers against his skin. As the teacher's touch slid across his ribs, Kakashi felt what little blood he had in his head pool much lower down.

"I wouldn't say that," Iruka replied, his tone soft. They had been able to make their way through dinner without any mishaps. "No attacking kettles, no trips to the hospital... I'd say we're doing pretty good tonight," he added with a smirk.

Ignoring the increasing tightness of his pants, Kakashi thought about that for a moment before narrowing his gaze at the teacher, whose fingers were torturing him by making small circles across his highly sensitive skin. There was only one way Iruka would know that a kettle of boiling water had dumped in his lap the first time they attempted to go out for dinner. "You were awake!"

Iruka gave a guilty and nervous chuckle, keeping his eyes trained on his fingertips as he smeared the whitish gel across the man's body. A part of him nearly smacked himself when he saw that his fingers were no longer on any area that was bruised. No, now his hands had a mind of their own and were trailing along the perfectly sculpted planes of the jounin's alabaster chest.

"I never thought you were sneaky, Iruka," Kakashi said with a chuckle that sounded faked even to his own ears. Of course, how could he truly laugh when he could feel the teacher's fingers brushing against his skin, searing everything they touched? At that moment – sticky, disgusting-smelling ointment or no – he wanted to throw the brunet to the bed and properly ravish him! That thought almost made him whimper as his erection strained against his pants.

Instead of going with his first thought, Kakashi had to tighten his fingers into fists as he took several breaths in hopes of calming himself back down, but without much luck. Even as a teen, he had never been subject to such raging hormones! Looking back up at Iruka, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something about the seemingly innocent man that made him feel like this. Or perhaps it was some kind of strange side-effect of the drugs his evil students gave him?

Horny was certainly one way to describe how he felt at the moment. Burning, aching… it was pure insanity! Kakashi couldn't help but snort to himself as he watched Iruka get up, quickly returning with rolls of gauze. Unable to do much else, Kakashi lifted his arms as Iruka leaned in towards him, tightly wrapping his torso and up onto his left shoulder. He had made no comment on his dislocated arm, so he was mildly surprised at the teacher's understanding of his injuries.

"There," Iruka declared as he finally sat back on his heels, nodding proudly at his handiwork. He had enough experience with bruises, cracked ribs, and other injuries to the point where his bandaging looked professional. "That ointment should help with the bruises and swelling."

"Thank you," Kakashi said quietly as he brought a hand up to touch the thick layer of white hiding his torso from view. He doubted he would have had such a thorough job had he gone to the hospital – he knew for certain he wouldn't have had such a cute, blushing nurse to tend to him! That thought made him chuckle slightly as he looked at the chuunin before him.

"What?" Iruka asked, not trusting the snicker he heard come from the jounin. It had the distinct ring of perversion and the teacher wasn't sure if he could deal with more corruption – not when his hands were already aching to map every inch of the muscles before him.

"I couldn't have asked for a better doctor," Kakashi replied, cocking his head to the side as his eye turned upwards with humor. Hearing a quick gasp of breath, Kakashi looked at the teacher and felt a renewed wave of desire hit him, as he took in the fierce blush that took over Iruka's cheeks and was starting to creep down his neck.

_Doctor fantasy – not as strange as ramen though, _Kakashi thought to himself. The possibility that the seemingly wholesome teacher was a closet pervert sent a delicious shiver down Kakashi's back. Deciding he might not mind playing the ailing patient at all, he brought a hand up to cup the teacher's cheek, brushing his thumb against the burning warmth that was a clear sign Iruka was having dirty thoughts. "I should probably be going…" Kakashi trailed off, unable to think of a reason he should stay in the teacher's arousing presence any longer, without making it painfully obvious that Iruka's aid had left him quite flustered. Why the hell did he agree with the teacher last night?!

Iruka nearly squeaked out a 'no!' but was somehow able to swallow it before he embarrassed himself further. Instead, he let his hands move to rest on the jounin's knees as he tried to think of something to say to get Kakashi to stay a little longer. He didn't want the man to think that he was going to get lucky by staying, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder if it would be such a bad thing to explore the sensations that were running through him.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, but a moan still escaped from his throat. The damn teacher had to know what he was doing, Kakashi was sure of it! Iruka's hands, which were slowly inching their way up his thighs, were a large cause for his increasingly painful arousal, but what was worse was the conflict between desire and trepidation he could see in those brown eyes.

"Tell me to stay, Iruka," Kakashi begged, his voice hoarse with need. His hands shook as he fought the urge to lift the teacher into his lap and crush his lips against the teacher's. A whimper escaped his lips as he watched Iruka bite his lower lip gently as though torn in his decision.

Iruka felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard the jounin's request. It was impossible – inconceivable – that he could bring the hardened shinobi to pleading, but as he looked into Kakashi's one eye, he could see that his desire was not feigned. The surprise there was enough to tell Iruka that Kakashi wasn't planning for such a strong reaction.

That observation made Iruka's breath catch in his throat as he realized Kakashi was no longer looking at him as part of his stupid bet with Gai. No, the supposedly emotionless Copy Nin _wanted_ him. Without a second thought, Iruka leaned forwards and pressed his lips against the jounin's.

Almost as soon as the softness of those lips registered in Iruka's mind, the teacher found his world spinning upside down for a moment, as something solid wrapped tightly around his waist. Gasping in surprise, Iruka grasped that he was being thrown onto the bed only after his head slammed backwards against the soft mattress, and a heavy weight settled on top of him.

Without warning, Iruka found demanding lips crushed against his own. There was no softness to this kiss, but as Iruka opened his mouth to return the needy, bruising pressure, he found himself no longer wanting the sweet kisses he had received up until now. No, this was beyond pleasure, bordering on painful as the kiss seared every nerve in the chuunin's body. Iruka brought his hands up to dig his nails into a muscular back that trembled from his very touch.

Iruka could feel the jounin's shoulder blades shift under his unforgiving grip, but Kakashi made no protest as the tall man continued to kiss him with a passion Iruka had never thought possible before. As their tongues intertwined, Iruka let out a soft whimper.

Never before in his life had the chuunin felt as though his body was about to burst into flames, but that was the only way to describe the burning sensations that left him so sensitive to the jounin on top of him, that each minute shift of the older man's body sent his head reeling.

Kakashi pressed his hips against the brunet's as he felt his control start going down a slippery slope that he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to save himself from. Would it be so bad to lose himself with the teacher? His lower body, having a mind of its own, started to slowly grind against the brunet, sending shots of pleasure up Kakashi's spine, as the jounin tried to remind himself that he had given Iruka his word he wouldn't pressure the younger man into anything.

Fighting to regain what little willpower he had, Kakashi broke their kiss before he completely lost himself to the teacher's masterful tongue. Pushing himself up so that he was no longer crushing the brunet into the mattress, Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath of air as his change in position pressed his erection against the teacher's.

"I-Iruka," Kakashi could barely make out the man's name, he was panting so hard. Swallowing in hopes of ridding himself of even a fraction of the desire sweeping through him, Kakashi looked down at the teacher pinned underneath him, and discovered his attempts were for nothing. Those flushed cheeks, lidded eyes filled with need, and abused lips were almost too much for Kakashi to handle.

"Wow…" Iruka could think of nothing else to say as he looked up at the jounin hovering over him. Had he really thought Kakashi was handsome before? The calm, cool jounin he had seen before was nothing compared to the sexy creature on top of him now. Feeling the powerful shinobi start shaking, which only served to make Iruka whimper in pleasure, the brunet studied him for a moment only to realize Kakashi was _laughing_.

Kakashi doubted he had ever received such a wonderful compliment before and couldn't help but laugh at the teacher's obvious surprise. A part of the jounin wanted to repeat the word in agreement. 'Wow' certainly described what he was feeling at the moment, but he doubted he would have been able to form even that simple of a word. He had been reduced to senseless noises as he looked down at the teacher. He had to bite back a groan as he shifted again, rubbing his erection against the brunet's, teasingly.

The sound that came out of Iruka was one that neither man could categorize. Cry, groan – outright scream – it was something that surprised the prudish man it came out of, and made the jounin smirk as he continued his slow rocking. Iruka bit his lip as he felt another blinding wave of sensations overtake him, leaving every inch of him tingling in pleasure. Had he the sense left in him to have any control over his body, he would have realized that he was unconsciously matching Kakashi's rhythm, but all Iruka was aware of was the warmth pooling in his lower body.

Having always prided himself in his self-control when it came to his lovers, Kakashi was embarrassed to find that he couldn't stop the torturously slow thrust of his hips against the teacher's. Even if he was somehow able to end that sensuous grind, he doubted he would be able to do so for very long when he could feel the chuunin beneath him rise to match his pace. That strand of conscious restraint weakened with just one small movement on the teacher's part, though.

The feel of Iruka's hands sliding down his sides to finally come to rest on his narrow hips, was too much for Kakashi. The feel of those strong fingers against his posterior was like a glowing red brand, searing his flesh despite the thin layers of material that still separated them. Bucking against the teacher, Kakashi felt a new sensation travel throughout his entire body.

_Shimatta_! Kakashi inwardly cursed, unable to believe what the feelings stampeding through him were. He was supposed to be teasing the flushed brunet beneath him, not finding his own climax, damn it! Despite clenching his teeth to stifle the cry threatening to erupt, Kakashi couldn't keep himself completely silent as he found his unexpected and untimely release.

For a moment, everything went black and silent as Kakashi soared from perhaps the best orgasm of his life. When he finally started coming back down from that impossible high, he became aware of two things almost immediately. As he opened his eyes and looked down at the teacher beneath him, he realized that his pants were now sticky, wet, and entirely uncomfortable. The second thing was the soft, sweet chiming that filtered into his ears. It took him a moment of outright staring at the brunet to realize what that sound was – Iruka was giggling!!

Iruka couldn't help himself from letting out peals of laughter. The look on Kakashi's face was priceless! The laughter caught in his throat and Iruka nearly choked, however, when he realized why Kakashi had looked like he was in absolute ecstasy. Color flooded his face as Iruka squeaked. Looking up into the jounin's flushed face, Iruka thought he was bad with his bright blushes, but now seeing Kakashi's entire face, he discovered that someone of the man's complexion should probably never turn that particular shade of scarlet.

"S-Sorry," Kakashi stammered weakly as he bowed his head in hopes of hiding the entirely unflattering blush on his cheeks. Other than beg for forgiveness for acting like some kind of inexperienced teenager, he couldn't think of anything to say to the chuunin who was outright staring at him.

"You don't have to apologize," Iruka replied, his voice soft and slightly breathless. Though his own arousal was downright painful at the moment, Iruka was still able to think clearly enough to imagine how embarrassed he would be if the same thing happened to him.

"I-I've never… um…" Kakashi turned his gaze to a point on the mattress above the teacher's shoulder, unsure if he wanted to divulge certain things to the younger man. He had never before come prematurely – not even when he and Obito molested and teased each other until they were on the edge of insanity. It also then stood that he had never come in his pants unless it was a wet dream and those he had no control over. For a moment, Kakashi recalled that the last time such a dream had left him… dirtied… in the morning, was probably fifteen or sixteen years ago. It was shameful for a man of his age and experience to become so excited by one teacher's slow grinding that he made a complete and utter fool of himself.

"I know, I'm that good," Iruka joked as he smirked. Seeing Kakashi come, he felt a little braver in unfamiliar territory such as this. He also felt some of his modesty melt away after discovering, to his surprise, he kind of liked this boyfriend business. The thought of Kakashi doing similar things to him made him blush, but he didn't splutter and twitch like he would have only a short while ago. Iruka brought a hand up to touch one of the jounin's enflamed cheeks, smiling gently to show that he wasn't holding it against the tall man.

"My ass is just that sensitive," Kakashi retorted as he remembered what had thrown him over the edge, but his voice held no bite. Letting out a sigh, he realized that his arms were trembling feebly, only moments before he found himself collapsing in exhaustion. Drained, it took everything he had to shift so that he wasn't crushing the teacher under his dead weight.

"Now I know how to tease you," Iruka quipped, the budding pervert in him snickering with the thought of sneaking up behind the silver-haired man, and grabbing him when he least expected it. Now, how to creep up behind a jounin who seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and would, more than likely, be expecting such a thing from him?

"Do it and die," Kakashi replied thickly. The yawn that immediately followed his threat made Iruka snort as the teacher disregarded the attempt to strike fear into his heart and dissuade him from groping the sensitive shinobi in public.

"Would you like to… um… clean up?" Iruka asked, warmth coming to his cheeks as he recalled that _he _was the one who made it so that Kakashi needed a change of clothing. It seemed unbelievable and, had someone told him this morning that he would be able to bring the unfeeling jounin to his knees, pleading, panting, and then climaxing with only a few touches and kisses, he would have thought them insane.

"Ngh… 'n mn… t," Kakashi grumbled against Iruka's neck. Though his words were far from well formed, Iruka had had to decipher Naruto's sleep talk long enough to understand that the jounin was asking for a minute. The thought that he needed time to recuperate was one that made Iruka blush proudly.

In that minute, which soon turned into several, Iruka was content to just be next to the jounin as he prayed that his own arousal would go away given time. He had the distinct feeling that Kakashi would return the favor when he was able to move again, and the teacher doubted that he would have the self-control to tell Kakashi 'no' if the jounin so much as looked at him. Iruka wasn't sure if he was prepared to take another step in their unusual relationship so quickly by letting the jounin touch him.

Finally his desire lessened to a bearable level and Iruka felt that his innocence was safe enough for him to wake the seductive jounin up. Turning his head to look at the jounin next to him, Iruka sighed when he saw that Kakashi was most certainly not just resting, but completely unconscious. From this morning, he knew there would be no waking the man up now.

Hoping that Kakashi wouldn't be too uncomfortable because of those pants, Iruka slipped out of the bed just long enough to shyly go to the bathroom to change out of his uniform. When he walked back into the room, Iruka couldn't help but study the sleeping jounin sprawled out across his bed. Looking down at his mode of dress, he wondered if Kakashi was the kind of pervert to molest in his sleep. If so, he wouldn't have much of a problem doing so, considering Iruka was only in a tight pair of black boxers. If he had a real choice, Iruka would be in the buff like he was any other night, but there was no way he would chance such a thing when Kakashi was sleeping right there!

With a sigh, Iruka hoped that Kakashi wouldn't get any funny ideas while sleeping. Last night, he may have crashed in Kakashi's bed and the jounin was enough of a gentleman to sleep on the floor, but Iruka knew he wasn't as compassionate as the jounin had been when it came to his precious sleep. Pushing the surprisingly heavy man over to one side of the bed, Iruka flopped down on his comfortable mattress and, after a few moments of turning over and fluffing up pillows, he found a comfortable spot and quickly drifted off.

--

B.Z.: ....Eh?! No sex?!?!? Come ON!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so cruel! **pouts**

Authoress: Kuku…sorry…I just had to tease all of you a little bit! But thank you for betaing this chapter, B.Z.-chan! You always do such an amazing job! YOSH! Everyone, please review so I know how fast to take Kakashi and Iruka's relationship! Kuku…though I do have some ideas that I'll have to use first…kukuku! So, until next time, ja ne!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Authoress: First off, I want to thank everyone for wishing me a happy birthday! *eeps* I like this idea of giving you guys presents for such eventful days! So, now onto the next chapter of The Most Youthful Challenge!

Disclaimer: If only I owned Naruto…kukuku…it would be wonderful!

**Chapter Fourteen**

It was a long process for Kakashi to wake up, but it was one he was more than used to after all these years. First, he would shake off the haziness of sleep and become aware of his surroundings. If he was on a mission, he immediately scanned for any threats, but when in the village, he took the luxury of simply laying there for a number of minutes without wondering where a possible attack could come from. He simply relaxed and basked in the rare treat of being off-guard.

The jounin quickly came to realize that today was certainly not going to be one of those pleasant days when he was roused in the early afternoon.

It was no surprise that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt movement next to him. His heart raced as the jounin tried to recall what he had been doing the night before. Had he agreed to another one of Tsunade's spur-of-the-moment missions? A few seconds of thought made him realize that was not the case – far from it.

He opened his natural eye, blinking several times in a mixture of confusion and panic as he finally focused on the source of that movement. A bronze arm snaked around his waist and Kakashi was immediately hit with a wave of warmth as the arm's owner moved even closer to him. Now fully awake with no hope of drifting back into unconsciousness, the jounin eyed the man curled up next to him.

He hated cuddling. In all actuality, he never let a lover spend a full night in his bed because he felt uncomfortable with someone being that close to him when he was so vulnerable. Feeling a pant of warm air hit his neck, Kakashi had to fight the urge to shiver. He immensely disliked having someone rest their head on his shoulder, their breath on his neck.

But having the teacher right next to him wasn't bad at all.

The shiver that ran down his back was not one of disgust or unease, as the jounin would have thought from prior experience. No, it was a tingling sensation of desire that ran down his back. It wasn't a blinding need like he was familiar with, but one that could almost be described as gentle.

Resting his head back down on the pillow, Kakashi closed his eye and focused his concentration on the man whose warm body was pressed closely against his own. Along with the one arm around his middle, a leg was thrown across him, effectively pinning the jounin down. If he wanted to, he could have escaped with ease, but Kakashi amazed himself when he realized he didn't mind having the teacher sprawled out across him.

Being this close to Iruka, he could feel the slow rise and fall of the brunet's chest, telling him that the teacher was, surprisingly, still asleep. Kakashi would have thought the younger man would have been up some time before him. What was even more amazing was that Kakashi woke up on his own accord, which meant it had to be in the afternoon.

Focusing his attention on the rhythmic rise and fall of a muscular chest, Kakashi was struck with how warm the brunet was. The next thought that passed through the jounin's mind was the smoothness that he could feel pressing against the few areas of his torso that were not bandaged. And the areas that would be in contact with his unwrapped abdomen were certainly not as innocent as the unclothed arm.

His eyes shot open at that and the man who had been called a genius by all could only stare dumbfounded at the tanned teacher curled around him. It took a pitifully long amount of time for Kakashi to realize that his first impression was right. There was a great deal of deliciously bronzed skin for the eye to see – and not a stitch of clothing in sight.

Kakashi shifted ever so slightly so as not to disturb the sleeping man and lifted his free arm – the one not currently pinned down and tingling in mild pain from an extended loss of circulation. Gingerly, he touched the silken skin of the teacher's shoulder, his fingertips running down the man's quite bare back. Reaching the small of his back and still not coming in contact with any clothing, the jounin began experiencing his first anxiety attack.

Immediately, he assumed that he had – in the lust-clouded fog he had lived in for the past week – gone against Iruka's wishes and pressured the teacher to sleep with him. It didn't matter to the jounin that he had no recollection of such a momentous occasion. Stranger things had happened to him before, but he had also had quite a few nights when he was unable to recall what exactly happened. Yet, he'd thought he had learned some shred of self control since then.

The chuunin shifted abruptly, his muscular arm tightening around Kakashi's middle as he let out a muffled sound. At that noise, Kakashi froze – if he had to describe it, he might use 'moan' to refer to such a sound. Despite his confusion over his current situation, the jounin felt a wave of desire hit him as he tried to think of a reason for Iruka to be moaning in his sleep. This pang was certainly not like the previous gentle one; it was powerful, heated, but most of all, it was blind need.

The next sound that came out of Iruka's mouth, however, was one that sent the jounin's head spinning as he tried to remind himself that he gave Iruka his word that he would take their relationship slowly.

"Mmm… 'Kashi…" This time, it was definitely a moan that crossed the teacher's lips. If it wasn't for that damn promise, Kakashi would have pulled the beautiful man underneath him and implemented one of the many interesting methods he could think of to wake the teacher up. The mere thought of tasting that bronze skin in search of a sensitive point forced Kakashi to release a groan of his own.

The infamous Copy Ninja was a man who had braved all kinds of circumstances; he had been able to endure unthinkable tortures, dive into near impossible situations and come out the victor, and proved his courage and strength to one and all. The people who knew him well described him as extremely guarded, while on first impression, people saw him as emotionless. No one would have believed it – least of all Kakashi – that he could be completely undone by one kindhearted, unconscious academy teacher.

But that was exactly what happened when a new sound reached the jounin's ears. It wasn't a moan or his name that he heard. It was a hitched gasp for air. The great Hatake Kakashi lost his steely control with a simple whimper. That one sound made him burn with desire for the teacher whose legs were tightening around his own, clinging so tightly to Kakashi that the silver-haired man could feel the outline of the younger man's solid frame against his own.

Any attempt to recall exactly what happened the night before disappeared from his mind as Kakashi shifted quickly, flipping over so that he was on top of the brunet. Almost as soon as his long legs straddled the teacher, Kakashi ravenously attacked every inch of tanned skin he could reach.

Unable to help himself, Kakashi marked the firm chest and long neck before him, biting down on the teacher's sweet-tasting skin until he was rewarded with another gasp. Warm fingers laced through his hair, directing his head back up to slightly parted lips.

Kakashi tried to hold himself back, but with the first touch of those soft lips against his own, he was lost in waves of delicious pleasure. He had always thought he had been an accomplished kisser, but now knowing Iruka's kisses, he knew that he was nothing in comparison to the teacher. Those quick, heated caresses were an impossible combination of passion and innocence. Entirely too addictive, he discovered quickly. Kakashi found that he didn't care that he was helpless against them.

As he shifted his position on top of the teacher, he pressed his hips down against Iruka's. Almost immediately, he was pleased to hear a groan come from the brunet. Swallowing the sound as he deepened their kiss, he brought one hand up to cup the younger man's cheek, while he used the other to balance the majority of his weight on.

Letting the teacher's silky hair slip through his fingers as he slid his hand down to the nape of his neck, Kakashi reluctantly came up for air. He tilted his head, resting his forehead against the younger man's, as he panted until he regained some semblance of normal breathing. That rhythm was quickly lost again when he heard a new sound reach his ears.

It was a chiming noise that Kakashi found strangely familiar. Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows as he lifted himself off of the teacher enough to see his face. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of the broad grin stretching across the brunet's face, that he recalled why that melodic sound was something he had heard before.

Iruka was laughing, the bastard!

It only took Kakashi another moment to blanch, recalling exactly what had happened the night before. As though mockingly reminding him of that pitiful fact, his pants began feeling quite uncomfortable, and it was not simply because of the tightness due to his stiffening member.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi," Iruka said softly. Kakashi blinked several times when he heard that breathless tone, his cheeks flaming up as he remembered that he had passed out in Iruka's bed last night after he had… Wincing at the memory of his untimely release, Kakashi slipped off of the teacher, and then moved to sit on the edge of the bed, glaring down at his ruined pants as though they had committed some horrible offense.

Kakashi would have been quite content to sit there and try to think of a way to explain his unforgivable behavior last night, but Iruka obviously had other ideas. Warm lips pressed against the back of his neck, brushing against the most sensitive part of Kakashi's entire lanky body. Unable to help himself, Kakashi jerked away, nearly falling off the bed in the process. Settling for a less embarrassing response, he clasped his hand around the back of his neck as he spun back around to glare at the teacher who dared to sneak up behind him, and seductively kiss his highly responsive neck.

"You sleep like the dead," Iruka stated calmly, as though the last few moments of heated kissing had never even occurred. All thoughts of growling at Iruka's comment fled Kakashi's head as he focused on the teacher.

Never before in his life had Kakashi wanted to be a sheet so much.

The enviable strip of cotton encircled Iruka's narrow hips, draping in such a way that all Kakashi could see was an expanse of bronze skin, but nothing that would make the prudish teacher properly mortified. That tanned flesh was absolute perfection as far as Kakashi was concerned, somehow even further improved by the dark red marks littered across that long neck and broad chest.

Fighting the urge to drool, Kakashi settled for a smirk as he eyed the teacher. The thoughts that were going through his perverse mind were ones he would never share with the brunet, knowing full well that Iruka would smack him into oblivion if he had any idea what Kakashi wanted to do with that sheet. All the horny jounin could think about was that, if he tore them to shreds, the bed linens would make the perfect restraints to tie the teacher down with. With Iruka properly bound, he could mark every inch of him and make the brunet beg for him.

The thought of Iruka pleading for him to touch him was one that sent a shiver down Kakashi's back. Or would the teacher lose a bit of his prudish character and talk dirty, demanding Kakashi fuck him? Would his voice be soft and breathless or deep in its seriousness? The possibilities were endless!

The fantasy Kakashi was playing out in his head was enough for his body to respond. As he shifted so that he was fully facing the teacher, his erection began rubbing uncomfortably against the rigid material of his pants. Ignoring the discomfort, he was about to reenact some of that daydream, but froze when he saw Iruka move.

That minor relocation made the sheets dip down, revealing the teacher's entire hip. Expecting to see even more darkened skin, Kakashi was wrenched out of his dream state when he saw a band of black cut across his view of tanned flesh. Though a part of him wanted to argue that it was only a pair of boxers, and that he should continue what he had been about to do only moments before, the realization that Iruka was not entirely nude gave Kakashi pause.

Was it possible that he had done nothing more last night than embarrass himself by coming prematurely? He could remember nothing between then and a few minutes ago when he had woken up. Could it be that he had innocently slept through the night with a nearly naked Iruka curled up next to him?! It did not help matters in the least that Iruka was a veritable sex god and the younger man was also uncomfortable with the idea of becoming lovers. At that moment, Kakashi hated irony.

Unknowingly, he let out a growl as he glared at nothing in particular. It took a few moments of uncomfortable silence for Kakashi to realize that Iruka was staring at him strangely. Finally returning to the present – all questions of whether or not Iruka would be into bondage fleeing his mind – Kakashi looked at the teacher.

"I take it I didn't do anything last night?" Kakashi had to ask the question; though he had a sinking feeling he had been very out of character last night and had been the complete gentleman while he slept. Obito had to be rolling in his grave right now – his best friend, being the only person he ever let sleep next to him, had been the one to tell him he groped, molested, humped, and otherwise was very physical in his sleep.

"Besides fall asleep after… um…" Iruka's face turned an interesting shade of scarlet as he looked away, a hand running through his hair. Studying that nervous gesture, it took Kakashi a moment to realize that the teacher's hair was unbound, those chestnut locks brushing down past muscular shoulders. It was, by far, one of the sexiest images he had ever seen – second only to seeing Iruka in the buff after the man had gotten out of the shower. He very much doubted anything could top that. "You didn't do anything to me, if that's what you're wondering."

Despite his perverse nature and the fact that all he wanted to do was jump the teacher, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. He was amazed to realize that he actually didn't want to pressure Iruka into anything. He would much rather Iruka set their pace – he wanted the teacher to desire him in his own time. No, scratch that. For everything he had gone through, he wanted Iruka to want him just as much as he wanted the teacher.

The thought of Iruka asking – no, begging – to have Kakashi touch him, kiss him… make love to him; it was enough to make a shockwave of pleasure race through the silver-haired jounin. Would Iruka be the kind of lover to boldly demand such attentions or would he be the one to nervously stutter? Would he not even verbally ask, but show Kakashi what he wanted or would he make the jounin continually guess? With those questions, the image of Iruka tied to the bed returned with a vengeance. At that, Kakashi's lower body warmed far more than the Copy Ninja had ever thought possible.

"About last night…" Kakashi trailed off, unsure how exactly to apologize for not staying conscious long enough to return the pleasurable favor. He nearly let out a groan when he realized that Iruka would have done one of two things. He could have fixed the problem himself and the image of Iruka touching himself made Kakashi whimper for a whole host of reasons. The other option was that Iruka had not done anything at all. The thought that Iruka might have gone to bed – and right next to him, damn it! – with the same kind of need Kakashi had been living with for the past week, was enough for the jounin to let out a whispered moan.

"I'm sorry," Iruka said softly as he turned his head to the side, his eyes unwilling to meet Kakashi's. The jounin could only stare in confusion, wondering what the teacher had to apologize for – other than being incredibly sexy. "I wanted to take things slow…"

A part of Kakashi wanted to point out that they _were_ taking things slowly – they were going so sluggishly, Kakashi had to wonder if he would live to see the day Iruka was ready to share his bed. With anyone else, a week was long enough for him to bed them, grow bored, and leave them. Iruka was different, though. Kakashi doubted that he would ever become uninterested in the teacher, not to mention a part of him – that little masochistic side of him that Kakashi was beginning to desperately hate – wanted to know what it would be like to have a real relationship with Iruka. That side did not want just a few nights of passion, but a connection that expanded far beyond just sex. To be able to hold a conversation with the teacher, to laugh with him – to hold him as he had been doing just a few minutes ago.

Kakashi had the sinking feeling he was either losing his mind or that he had read one too many romance novels. He would prefer to know that he was losing his grasp on sanity than that he had been too much of a pervert in his literature choices.

He was torn from his depressing thoughts when he felt something caress his left cheek. It only took a split second to place that gentle pressure as Iruka's lips. He doubted he would ever be able to forget that silky texture and warmth. Leaning into the teacher's innocent kiss, a smile tugged at his lips. Never before had one of his lovers been brave enough to kiss the dark scar that marred that side of his face, but that was in fact what Iruka was doing as those lips trailed up his face. Closing his left eye, he shivered as the younger man's ministrations brushed over his eyelid, then up to his brow.

Once Iruka reached the top of his scar, his lips firmly pressed against pale skin. Kakashi bowed his head, but didn't turn away. No one had ever kissed him like this because he was so sensitive about his facial features – they were right in guessing he would be offended and perhaps even angry. Iruka was different. His kiss was not one brought on by lust, curiosity, awe, or pity like anyone else's would have been – his was one filled with emotions Kakashi could not even begin to name. Whatever they were, they made the jounin's stomach flutter strangely.

Reluctantly, Iruka finally pulled away and sat back on his heels. Slowly opening his eye again, Kakashi mourned that soft pressure, but when he caught a glimpse of the red tinge to the teacher's cheeks, he couldn't help but smirk.

"I-I'll go make you some breakfast," Iruka stammered before all but fleeing the room. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the teacher's hasty retreat, but knew better than to think about it too much. He wasn't prepared to fully explore the reasons for Iruka kissing him like that, and then blushing furiously.

Any logical explanation behind Iruka's actions that Kakashi could come up with boiled down to one motivation – that the teacher felt something for him. That possibility was enough to elicit a smile from the jounin. Maybe he might just have a chance at a real relationship with Iruka.

--

What the hell was he thinking?!

Iruka pressed himself firmly against the wall, hitting his head back into the solid material several times as he tried to figure out whether or not he was losing his mind. Ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that his head-banging produced, he instead tried to think of some sensible reason for the past week of absolute, unarguable insanity.

He had gotten up hours ago, but had decided to not strain himself in an attempt at waking Kakashi up. No, instead he had done his weekend morning routine - drink a few cups of coffee, read the paper, correct some homework. By the time he was finished doing everything he could think of to pass the time, it was only noon.

He snuck back into his room, where Kakashi was still blissfully unconscious. He had been tempted to rudely wake the jounin up by bouncing on him, smashing pans together – anything to get the lanky man up – but those thoughts had fallen away to leave one that Iruka had thought was pure genius.

He was going to tease the Copy Ninja.

Throwing his head back with a particularly forceful motion, Iruka finally winced and wondered if he'd dented the wall yet. Pushing away from the wall as he grumbled to himself, he stalked into the kitchen to start cooking. As he instinctively moved around the clean room, he continued to berate himself and have a small panic attack.

Why in the hell had he thought it was a good idea to tease Kakashi?!

It had started out according to plan. He crawled back into bed and snuggled up next to the large man. He had _planned_ on starting to innocently touch Kakashi, pretending that he was doing so in his sleep, but that had never happened. Almost as soon as he had curled up next to the jounin, one of those powerful, warm arms wrapped around him and – despite the coffee he had drank – Iruka found himself drifting back off to sleep.

That embrace was so comfortable and so secure that Iruka had slept better than he had in years.

Flushing, he recalled what had finally woken him back up. That damn dream! Glaring daggers at the onion he was chopping up, he wished the images weren't so vivid that he could almost believe they were real.

Masterful hands touching every inch of him, searing every place they caressed with a lover's familiarity. There was the warm tongue trailing down his chest and abdomen, then even lower. Oh, God – that mouth had been so amazing on his erection. Whispery breaths of warm air against his head, gentle, wet licks that ran from his weeping tip all the way to the base of his throbbing cock, and back up just as slowly.

Just the memory of that dream made Iruka's entire body feel feverish despite the fact he was only wearing a thin pair of boxers. Unable to help himself, he let his fingers travel along his arms, tracing the same pathways his dream-lover had. Though the touch was his, it brought the same burning jolts of desire that had caused him to moan in his dream.

He remembered wrapping his fingers into silky hair as his fantasy lover had finally stopped teasing him, taking his entire length into that impossibly hot cavern. The combination of all those sensations – and he couldn't forget about the suction that only added to what Iruka had already considered perfection – undid him.

The next thing he knew, Iruka was pulling that talented mouth up to his own, kissing him deeply. He didn't know what he wanted – just that he _wanted_. He had nearly begun begging his dream lover to do whatever he wanted to him, but had lost his ability to speak when their kiss had finally been broken.

There were no words for how thankful Iruka was when he cleared enough of the fog of desire to realize that he was not asleep. No, that heavy body on top of his was very much real – as were the warm puffs of air against his face. He did the only thing he could do when positively mortified.

He laughed.

He was certain that the jounin could hear the nervousness in his laugh, but from the narrowed gaze he'd received, he had the feeling Kakashi thought he was mocking him.

Iruka had always prided himself on being able to think on his feet – to assess situations at the speed of light. It took no more than the blink of an eye to realize that the jounin on top of him was nowhere near as aroused as he was. Kakashi was not gasping for breath, nor was he flushed with desire. That quickly proved that a good part of his dream had, in fact, been just that – a dream. He could feel the tightness of his boxers, constricting his painful erection, which meant Kakashi hadn't been sucking on his cock mere moments before. He could taste the jounin on his lips, however – so they had been kissing, that much was not part of Iruka's hormone-driven dream.

Another blink gave him the insight that Kakashi wasn't aware of what he had been dreaming of. Iruka was ridiculously thankful for that small saving grace. He had the feeling the jounin would be exceedingly pleased to know that Iruka was having sex dreams about him – and would then proceed to reenact said fantasies. The pervert!

That realization had the same effect as being doused with cold water. It was enough for Iruka to think straight and speak evenly, though it took every fiber of his being to not gasp in pleasure as Kakashi moved. The shift of his hips off of Iruka's body, along with the pulling of the sheets to rub against Iruka's overly sensitized member, was almost too much. Iruka was deathly afraid he was moments away from doing exactly what Kakashi had done the night before.

It had taken everything in him to continue speaking calmly. He had even had enough restraint to gently kiss the jounin's neck and not outright bite, lick, suck, and grope the man as his body itched to do. When Kakashi had turned back to look at him, another wave of desire hit the teacher, but that time, he could not hold himself back.

He had kissed the scar that tore down Kakashi's handsome face. He had just meant for it to be a fleeting gesture, but once his lips pressed against that warm, indented skin, he'd lost the battle with his body. Then, he was again kissing smooth, perfect flesh and Iruka realized what he had done.

He'd barely had time to think of an excuse before he fled the room with what little dignity he had left intact. Those few minutes of hitting his head into the wall had cooled his body somewhat, but nothing had lessened his desire. The hardness between his legs was proof enough of that.

Swallowing heavily, Iruka tried to will away his erection, but with little success. It seemed that everything, even the very air itself, was against him. The gentle breeze – thanks to an open window – caressed his heated skin, sending his libido and head spinning. Biting his lip to muffle the whimper that bubbled up from his throat, Iruka tilted his head back, all thoughts of preparing breakfast forgotten.

It was only then that he felt fingers ghost across his fevered flesh and warm breath seep down to his very bones. Eyes raked over his body, which only served to singe Iruka's skin even more. He closed his eyes and leaned back. He did not have to look down to know that pale hands were brushing across his chest, teasing his nipples into stiff peaks. He could feel the strong body against his back, holding him from falling backwards, as those fingers began to press more firmly against his skin.

"What do you want, Iruka?"

The brunet shivered at the deep voice that rumbled against his ear, sending a gentle breeze against his cheek. Arching back against the jounin, he could only whimper as those lips pressed against the base of his neck, tongue swirling in small circles that made Iruka gasp. At that moment, all he cared about was finding some kind of release from this agonizing, dizzying pleasure. No longer were there thoughts about modesty or ones of revenge. There was only one thing that came to mind as Iruka answered the jounin.

"_You_."

--

Authoress: HOT DAMN!!! *dies of massive nosebleed* *shivers*

B.Z.: ....GAH! ....You tease!

Authoress: Kuku…I know…I'm so terrible sometimes…but, anyways…thank you for betaing, B.Z.-chan. As usual, amazing job! And for all of my lovely reviewers – I want to hear what you guys think should happen next chapter! Shall we take things slow or have full out, lemon-filled, X-rated smut?! Kuku…what happens next will be up to all of you!!! So, until next time, ja ne!!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Authoress: YOSH! I have waited for this day for far too long – as I'm sure all of you wonderful readers have! So, without further ado, but with a quick warning to those of you who may not want to read this (though I have no idea why you _wouldn't_ want to!)...here is the **lemon** I have promised!!

Disclaimer: Okay, so I don't own Naruto…it doesn't mean I can't write lovely lemons though! *cackles maniacally* Kukuku!

**Chapter Fifteen**

"_What do you want, Iruka?"_

"_You."_

--

Those few words echoed in Kakashi's vacant mind, since all other thought – intelligent or not – had left him the moment he had walked into the kitchen. Any ideas to tease Iruka into cutely blushing fled him as he caught sight of the teacher. How could he possibly do anything but use his shinobi speed to move behind the younger man? Using gentleness he never knew he possessed, his fingertips retraced the trails the brunet's own touch had travailed only moments before.

Kakashi had been unaware that his tongue was even capable of forming coherent words when he was so aroused, but the teacher had somehow understood him and given the jounin an answer that had momentarily floored the silver-haired pervert.

_You_. He never thought a single word could possibly make his libido skyrocket to the point he was unsure if he could ever come back down – or if he even wanted to. At that moment, that little nagging conscience he had been beginning to develop was quickly bound and gagged in the off-chance it dared to point out that Iruka had – up until now – been the one demanding they not rush into a sexual relationship.

His fingers raced across Iruka's bare chest, discovering that caressing the real thing was far better than any dream he could have conjured up. His skin was silken, but at the same time, it was solid muscle that quivered beneath Kakashi's touch. It was perfection.

Pressing gentle kisses across the back of Iruka's neck, Kakashi couldn't help but move so that he was flush against the younger man. His hands dipped lower, discovering a thin line of hair trailing down the teacher's abdomen. As his fingers followed the dark hair to where it disappeared underneath tight material, Kakashi was rewarded with a hitched gasp that shook the entire brunet's frame.

"K-Kashi."

Kakashi had never thought his name was anything special, but hearing it roll off Iruka's tongue, mixed with such emotion, was enough for the jounin to whimper. Even when climaxing, no other lover had ever said his name like that – with such lust, desire, need… whatever you wanted to call it.

Swallowing heavily, he slipped his fingers underneath the waistband and immediately came in contact with coarse hair. Having had the luck of seeing Iruka naked before – oh, and what a great moment it was! – he knew it to be a near-black shade, but seeing and touching were two very, very different things as far as the jounin was concerned. Groaning against the teacher's neck, he slid his fingers down further.

Iruka cried out softly, bucking against him, as Kakashi wrapped long fingers around the base of the younger man's erection. For a moment, all the jounin could do was remain perfectly still as the sensitive skin of his palm and fingers etched the feel of Iruka's arousal to memory.

His own member stiffened to the edge of pain as he slowly began sliding his hand along silken, warm flesh. Running the pad of his thumb across the tip of Iruka's penis, Kakashi was rewarded with a soft whimper from the teacher. Unable to help himself, Kakashi smirked against the chuunin's tanned neck as he began tracing small circles on the moist head of his member.

Those whimpers quickly turned into moans as Iruka shifted his hips, pressing his arousal more firmly into Kakashi's teasingly soft touches. In response, Kakashi chuckled hoarsely as he acquiesced to the teacher's unspoken demand. Wrapping his hand back around Iruka's erection, he slowly began to pump the younger man.

Iruka gasped softly as Kakashi's caresses sent surges of pleasure through him. He had never felt anything like this before, but was surprised to find that, instead of feeling fear or unease at such powerful, unfamiliar sensations, he felt an emotion he was somewhat familiar with. Need. The other feeling coursing through him was one he was less used to, but one he could still name: desire.

Incapable of doing much else, Iruka rocked his hips in time to Kakashi's hand as he arched backwards so that the back of his head was pressed against the jounin's chest. Turning his face, he brushed his lips against the older man's exposed neck. Iruka smiled when he heard Kakashi suck in a sharp gasp of air before the world around him spun.

If he had been more aware of his surroundings, Iruka would have known that he had been what had turned around so quickly, but at that moment, all he was certain of – and all that he cared about – were lips crushing against his. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and moaned as a wet tongue met his own.

Kakashi pulled Iruka flush against his body, groaning into their bruising kiss as he relocated his hands on the teacher's narrow hips. A part of him mourned the loss of his grip on Iruka's erection, but he was quickly placated by their new position. This change gave him not only the opportunity to kiss the teacher with every bit of fervor he possessed, but also let him grind their stiffened members together.

Despite the lust fogging his mind, Kakashi had barely enough sense left to try determining what Iruka had meant when he had said 'you' earlier. Did it just mean that Iruka was horny as hell and wanted Kakashi to make him come? If so, how far was the prudish teacher going to let him go? Iruka didn't protest when he had touched the younger man without a single layer of material separating them, but at the same time, Kakashi wondered what kind of sane person would have the resolve to say 'stop' at that point.

The next logical thought that came to the jounin's mind was if Iruka would allow him to remove those damnable boxers and happily lick and suck every inch of the teacher until Iruka was satisfied – repeatedly, preferably. Kakashi groaned as he attacked the teacher's mouth with renewed desire born from when he imagined what it would be like giving the brunet a blow job. Having Iruka's fingers tightly wound in his hair as the brunet directed him, being able to hear the younger man's breathing coming in quick gasps, seeing his enraptured expression, feeling his member throb against his lips and tongue – the mere idea of going down on the teacher was nearly enough to make Kakashi come.

Nipping at the brunet's lower lip, Kakashi tried to shake that image from his mind before he embarrassed himself for the second time in under twenty-four hours. Instead, he went back to wondering what Iruka wanted him to do. He quickly stopped himself from imagining the possibility of taking Iruka. It didn't matter if it was on the floor, a counter, or the bed – he was not picky at this point. Kakashi didn't even want to entertain the thought of what position the tanned man would prefer – it would only open a whole new host of images that would only serve to send the jounin over the edge.

Kakashi was the one to break their kiss, tilting his head back as Iruka's lips quickly relocated to his neck. That warm mouth traced the jounin's throbbing jugular, a tongue taking its sweet time in driving the already randy man to the brink of insanity.

The silver-haired pervert nearly cried out when he felt fingers dance across every inch of exposed skin on his torso, sending electrifying jolts of desire throughout him. Those hands were far from hesitant or innocent as they brought Kakashi to his proverbial knees with ease.

It was then, as masterful touches brought him to an all new high, that a thought struck Kakashi into momentary amazement.

_Could Iruka be seme?_

The very idea of the compassionate teacher being the dominant lover was one that sent Kakashi's mind careening dangerously close to madness. The mere thought of the brunet being seme, being in complete control of his sexual encounters, was one that Kakashi had never thought of before. Everything about the teacher, from his (normally) sweet nature to his blushing innocence at the smallest of sexual acts screamed 'uke' to Kakashi. But, as Kakashi recalled, it had been years since Iruka had dated anyone – that uke vibe might have been from reluctance of entering a relationship when he had been broken by his last lover.

Was it possible the infamous Hatake Kakashi had somehow misjudged the brunet and his preferences in the bedroom?

Those fingers and that mouth knew exactly how to tease the jounin, brushing against his alabaster skin so gently that a part of the man had to wonder if he was even being touched at all. They were ones that seemed quite accustomed to taking the lead.

The teacher's next actions solidified Kakashi's new assumption as tanned hands made quick work of the knotted drawstring that kept the jounin's loose-fitting pants from falling off his slender hips.

Even before the dark material hit the floor, any remaining hint of intelligent thought disappeared from Kakashi's mind. It might have been the feel of cool air against his erection that made Kakashi lose the genius-level IQ he had always prided himself in, but the jounin had the feeling those strong hands ghosting over his exposed rear had more to do with it.

Emboldened by the soft whimpers the tall man was emitting, Iruka was able to ignore his absolute mortification as he continued touching the silver-haired shinobi's lower body curiously. Beneath his fingertips was a perfectly sculpted behind that curved to meet a pair of thin, yet powerful legs. Gulping softly, Iruka glanced down at the location of his hands, but was unable to hold back the snort that came when he saw that every inch of pale skin he had ever seen before that moment had actually been tanned.

From a point sitting quite low on his hips down to his knees revealed what Kakashi's natural skin color must be if the shocking contrast of colors was any indication of the man's attempts at sunbathing. Whereas his chest, arms, and back were a beautiful alabaster, the jounin's pelvis and thighs were completely colorless. On anyone else, it might have looked sickly or otherwise unusual, but on Kakashi, it was strangely amusing.

Despite his desire for the brunet, Kakashi glared at the younger man when he realized what had gotten the teacher to chuckle. No one, not even Obito, was allowed to mock him for his albino-like coloring. In retaliation, he divested the teacher of the only remaining article of clothing separating them in the blink of an eye.

Unable to keep himself from staring, Kakashi took in every deliciously bronzed inch of the teacher. It took him a few moments of drool-inducing images for him to realize that Iruka did not have a similarly noticeable tan line. Then the age-old question struck Kakashi into a drooling stupor: was that rich golden color natural or did the teacher sunbathe in the nude?

Kakashi couldn't stop his fingers from reaching out and trailing along the well-defined muscles of Iruka's lower abdomen. No matter what the answer was to that query, the jounin was certain of one thing – Iruka was damn sexy. That idea brought about a host of questions to Kakashi's lust-fogged mind. Was the younger man aware of how hot he was when he was standing in his kitchen completely naked? Or was the brunet only thinking of how he could mentally scar one of his students if they came flying into his apartment unannounced? Logically, the first person who had a chance of happening upon them was none other than the blonde bane of Kakashi's entire existence.

The thought of Naruto walking in forced the jounin to snigger inwardly – the brat deserved to have a serious mind-fuck. What better way than to walk in on them? Reminding himself to one day orchestrate a sexual encounter where Naruto was certain to catch a glimpse – ahh, vengeance was sweet – Kakashi took a firm grip of Iruka's posterior.

Pulling the brunet's hips against his, the jounin bit back the whimper that threatened to escape as their members brushed against one another. Iruka let out a soft gasp that only served to make Kakashi smirk perversely as the silver-haired shinobi began planning out his method of seduction.

The first order of business would be to get Iruka to the bedroom. Kakashi knew better than to have their first time together in the kitchen. Counter, floor, table – no matter what surface, he was certain Naruto and the rest of the crazed WASABI gang would not be happy to find out that he couldn't wait long enough to get to the other side of the apartment. The jounin quickly quashed any thoughts that tried to point out that WASABI was in no way the guiding force in making that decision. Ignoring that strange, unfamiliar tenderness he felt towards the bipolar teacher, Kakashi performed the fastest transportation jutsu of his life in order to relocate them to a more appropriate place.

Iruka was momentarily surprised at Kakashi's actions, but any urge to ask what had gotten into the jounin disappeared as he realized that they had been transported to his bedroom. A part of the anal teacher mourned the rumpled sheets sprawled across his bed, but the rest of the man could have cared less when he felt Kakashi let go of him. That tall body then shifted and Iruka found himself blushing for a whole new host of reasons.

Purposely kneeling down as slowly as possible, Kakashi took the opportunity to kiss every inch of that darkened skin. He teased the teacher's nipples into erect peaks, mapped out the dark line of hair that traveled down that muscular abdomen, and left bright marks scattered across the front of that beautiful body.

Finally landing softly on his knees on the cushioned floor, Kakashi took a quick moment to silently thank the teacher for having the sense to carpet his floors – bad knees were just one of the painful drawbacks of his hard life as a shinobi. Instead of wincing in agony, Kakashi instead focused all of his attention on the positively magnificent cock jutting out in front of him. No, it was beyond magnificent – it deserved to have sculptures done in its image, worthy of an artist's brush. It was a masterpiece! Nestled in a patch of near-black hair, that darkly-colored member called to Kakashi. A bead of precum leaked out from the small slit and the jounin nearly whimpered at the beauty of that little drop of liquid. All the jounin could do was worship Iruka's dick like it deserved.

Iruka jerked backwards in surprise when he felt the jounin's long fingers wrap around his erection. Blinking several times to try clearing the fog that had blurred his vision from the moment Kakashi started kissing his body, the teacher finally was able to focus on the man kneeling in front of him. That momentary clarity was quickly lost again when Kakashi licked the tip of his member.

Blushing furiously, the teacher tried to pull away, but Kakashi had him effectively captured with the one hand around his erection, while the other large hand quickly located itself on Iruka's behind. Smirking at Iruka's embarrassment, Kakashi could only squeeze the teacher's firm posterior as he glanced up at the younger man.

Squeaking in response, Iruka was unable to do much else when Kakashi's tongue began running along his member. Instead, he hissed softly as the jounin's masterful tongue lapped up the bead of precum on the tip of his erection. Involuntarily, the teacher's fingers wove themselves into Kakashi's spiky hair that, despite its appearance, was incredibly soft.

Kakashi groaned quietly when he felt Iruka's fingers tighten on his scalp. In response, he took the end of the brunet's member into his mouth, teasing his slit until he could taste another drop of salty, slightly bitter liquid on his tongue. He found Iruka's distinct flavor addictive, which a part of the jounin was surprised to realize. In all actuality, he rarely gave other men blowjobs for the sole reason he did not like the taste, but Iruka's precum reminded him more of ramen than anything else, which brought about a whole host of fantasies to the perverted jounin's already sex-driven mind.

"Kakashi…" Iruka whispered his name so quietly, Kakashi would not have even known he had spoken if it hadn't been for the fact that his mismatched orbs were trained on the brunet's face – also that he had mastered reading other people's lips. Taking a little more of Iruka's arousal in his mouth, Kakashi sucked gently, watching the teacher's expression in fascination. If possible, Iruka was even sexier when biting his lower lip, but failing to sufficiently muffle the whimper that erupted from his throat.

Emboldened by Iruka's reaction – and surprised the prudish teacher had yet to express the expected mortification – Kakashi slowly leaned forwards, taking every bit of the brunet's engorged member into his mouth.

With a smirk, and a hint of a wince, Kakashi felt Iruka's fingers tighten in his hair. A soft gasp hit Kakashi's ears as the jounin ran his tongue along the underside of Iruka's erection. In response, the silver-haired man tightened his lips around the hardened flesh and gently sucked.

Involuntarily, Iruka's hips bucked as a wave of pleasure rushed through him. Biting his tongue hard enough that he began to taste blood, he tried to hold back the sounds that threatened to erupt from his throat as Kakashi's actions became bolder.

Setting a torturously slow pace, Kakashi began bobbing his head, sucking Iruka's cock with every bit of desire he felt for the bronze man in front of him. As he moved up and down the brunet's member, Kakashi began humming quietly, remembering that doing so had driven his past partners insane. Whatever others had felt, it could not be anything compared to what Iruka must be experiencing. Kakashi smiled in satisfaction when the teacher cried out – and if one wanted to be entirely truthful, it was a hoarse scream, but Kakashi was not about to tell anyone that Iruka sounded amazing when screaming. It was one sound he would never let anyone else hear.

Ignoring the undeniable possessiveness of his thoughts, Kakashi put all of his energies towards giving the best blowjob he could. Iruka deserved nothing less than perfection and, as he sucked the teacher's cock, Kakashi found himself, for perhaps the first time, thoroughly enjoying the act. Unlike other partners he'd had, Iruka didn't force him down or thrust into his mouth and thus nearly choking the jounin. He did not direct Kakashi in any way, which the silver-haired man found impossibly sexy. He was giving Kakashi control, letting the jounin decide how much of his cock to take into his mouth, just how much to suck or how fast he should move. Kakashi's humming faltered as the jounin whimpered, realizing something that had somehow escaped him earlier.

Iruka was his lover.

The brunet was not a sexual partner, though Kakashi couldn't wait until they were fucking like rabbits – there was only so much the horny man could put up with and listening to Iruka moan as he went down on him was certainly becoming a challenge to what little restraint Kakashi had. No, whatever it was that was between them was more than just desire.

Iruka was the first person since Obito that Kakashi felt truly comfortable around. The brunet was positively nuts in many respects, but those qualities in him were endearing ones. Obsessive-compulsive, anal, nit-picky… however Kakashi put it, he didn't know why that part of Iruka appealed to him so much. Then there was the teacher's laugh – his humor. It was the teacher's smile, his easy-going character when he wasn't pissed at something or other. It was his compassion that Kakashi found addictive.

Oh shit. Kakashi recognized these symptoms. How could he not after reading mountains of romance novels? Despite being a skeptic of romance after Obito died all those years ago, he still held a small glimmer of the hopeless romantic he had been before becoming a jounin and losing the only person he had ever truly cared for.

_I love Iruka._

Stunned by the realization, Kakashi could only sit back on his heels, releasing Iruka's erection. Looking up into the teacher's confused face, he felt a wave of emotion hit him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before – so different, in fact, that he couldn't even begin to describe the host of sensations that filled him as his mismatched gaze focused on each of Iruka's features.

"W-Why did you stop, Kakashi?" Iruka asked breathlessly, his voice thick with desire. Gulping audibly, the jounin let his eyes travel along the pale mark across Iruka's nose that was a shocking white in comparison to the pink of his inflamed cheeks. Next, he looked at the teacher's lips, swollen by their heated kisses. Finally, his gaze moved to those expressive orbs that were a window into the brunet's very soul. And, as Iruka's eyes met his, Kakashi knew exactly why he had, wholly and completely unexpectedly, fallen in love with him.

Iruka was proud of who he was – he didn't hide behind a mask, whether real or metaphorical, like so many other shinobi. He freely showed his emotions – his hopes, his desires, and even his fears. Everything about him could be read through those chocolate eyes. _That_ was what Kakashi loved most about him.

"I-I…" Kakashi didn't know what to say to the teacher. How could he tell a man that he had been dating for such a short time that he loved him? Iruka would certainly think he was joking – after all, no one believed that he could be serious about anything other than his profession. That, of course, was because Kakashi had always wanted it that way. He never wanted anyone to know what he was like – who he truly was. He was certain he was right in feeling the brunet would not be able to accept the fact that he of all people had fallen in love.

Biting his tongue before his mouth betrayed him and he made a complete fool of himself, Kakashi instead showed the teacher what he felt. He worshiped every inch of tanned flesh that he could reach while still kneeling before the younger man. His lips trailed down muscular thighs, tracing their definitions in wonder. They were legs that anyone would be jealous of, but Kakashi could only adore them because they were Iruka's.

Shifting his attentions, Kakashi nipped his way along the teacher's inner thigh until Iruka let out a soft groan and those strong fingers tightened in the jounin's hair. Letting the brunet direct him, Kakashi happily obliged when Iruka brought his face back up to his stiffened member.

"P-Please, 'Kashi," Iruka whispered as the jounin licked the tip of his cock teasingly. Surrounding that glorious erection with his lips, Kakashi showed every ounce of his affection. He took all of Iruka into his mouth, softly memorizing every solid curve and throbbing vein with his tongue, lips, and teeth. All that came out of Iruka in response to Kakashi's change in technique was a strangled scream as his fingers further tightened in the jounin's hair. Those hands, however, did not force him in any way. No, they were still Iruka's – gentle and considerate, just like every other part of the teacher.

Sliding his fingers around Iruka's hips, Kakashi took a firm hold of the teacher's behind that, like the penis he was happily sucking on, was flawless. It was muscular enough to match the rest of the bronze Adonis, but having an almost feminine curve that fit perfectly in his hands and begged to be squeezed. Doing just that, Kakashi gripped his lover's delicious ass, directing Iruka's hips as he matched their slow rhythms, mimicking what he really wanted.

As another hint of what his body was crying for, pale fingers slid between those bronze cheeks. The jounin smirked as he pressed his fingertips against his lover's entrance, but that satisfied smile fled his face when he registered Iruka's surprising reaction.

Instead of slipping inside his lover as Iruka moaned in pleasure as the pervert had been planning, the brunet gasped in obvious surprise as his hips bucked. That quick movement was not to impale himself on Kakashi's fingers; it was in an attempt to get away. It was in that moment that the jounin realized something else – Iruka's ass was _too_ tight.

_He's never been uke._ For a genius, it took Kakashi a pitifully long period of time to put the pieces together. Now certain that his earlier reflection was true – that Iruka was indeed seme – the jounin made up his mind and quickly changed his course of action.

Releasing Iruka's erection, he slowly stood back up, running his hands along the teacher's back and sides as he did so. Wordlessly, he captured Iruka's lips in a gentle kiss before trailing small licks and nips along the man's neck and jaw. Stepping back enough to break away from the teacher, Kakashi looked into Iruka's eyes and could not help but smile at what he saw there.

There was no mistaking the emotion in those chocolate orbs, but never before had anyone looked at Kakashi with such desire. It was not the lust that Kakashi was accustomed to with other lovers, nor was it the spellbound look from those who caught a glimpse of his face. Whatever made Iruka's look different was something that sent the jounin's heart racing.

Opening his mouth, Kakashi uttered the one thing he never expected to say to anyone, "I want you inside me, Iruka." A part of the jounin was positively amazed that he could speak coherently without having to stop to moan or whimper, but the rest of him was dumbstruck that, for the first time in his life, he actually wanted to be uke.

No one ever asked his preferences, they always assumed that, being as powerful as he was, there was no chance he could be anything but seme – and too many were too afraid of Kakashi to take the lead themselves and be the dominant one.

Iruka was obviously not comfortable yet with being the submissive one, but Kakashi was willing to wait until they were more secure in their relationship to start pushing his prudish lover to try new things. One of those many things would have to be trying out the role of uke and after that came all of Kakashi's dirty fantasies. At the moment, though, the jounin was content with doing things Iruka's way.

Not giving Iruka the chance to go down his usual path of blushing and stammering when it came to anything even marginally sexual, Kakashi kissed him firmly. Teasing the teacher's tongue with his own, sucking on his lower lip, tasting every inch of that hot cavern, Kakashi let out a soft whimper as his otherwise ignored member began to throb painfully. Almost as though Iruka could read his mind, a tanned hand slowly wrapped around his cock and began pumping.

Impressed that he had yet to hyperventilate, Iruka felt emboldened enough to kiss Kakashi back with every bit of passion he had in him. The jounin's surprising words were ones that made it necessary for Iruka to fight the urge to cock his head to the side in confusion. Not that he had ever really thought about it, but subconsciously, he had always pegged Kakashi as a dominant lover. The fact that the infamous Hatake Kakashi wanted _him_, an average academy teacher, to make love to him was something that Iruka had yet to fully wrap his head around. He doubted he would ever get over that conundrum.

Quickly running through the sex-ed lessons he had been forced to teach his upper-level students, Iruka felt his cheeks warm. Sex was a natural thing, no matter the gender of the people concerned, but Iruka never thought he would be in that kind of position. His abysmal track record of dates had proven he would never have a boyfriend or girlfriend long enough to become lovers, so he had never really imagined being intimate with someone.

The mere thought of being Kakashi's lover was astonishing. Kakashi was everything he wasn't. He was strong and intelligent; mysterious and perverse. He was beautiful, not that many people knew that particular fact, and Iruka had the feeling even less knew exactly how magnificent he looked when he was completely naked, his erection standing out from a patch of silvery hair that was a few shades darker than the almost unnatural-looking hair on his head. Iruka couldn't help but compare his average features to Kakashi's legendary person. It made no sense that Kakashi would want him of all people to be his lover.

"Please Iruka," Kakashi whispered against Iruka's scalp, hoping that he hadn't somehow scared the teacher into backing out of their sexual exploits before they even started. That would have been the worst sort of irony for Kakashi – and the jounin wasn't sure if he could handle getting so close to bedding Iruka just to frighten him off.

Pressing his erection into Iruka's abdomen, Kakashi prayed that the teacher would have pity on him. Having had the time to grow used to the idea of Iruka being on top, Kakashi's entire body hummed in anticipation of being taken by the brunet, but if he had to choose between a hand job or nothing at all… well, there would be no choice for the horny jounin.

Swallowing heavily as he felt Kakashi's cock jutting against his belly, Iruka couldn't help but pray that his nerves would calm themselves back down just long enough that he didn't make himself into a clumsy fool. He had the feeling there would be no saving himself if Kakashi figured out that he was having virginal jitters.

Iruka let out a soft huff of air as he realized that, now that he was mere moments away from losing his virginity, it was the first time he had thought about it in quite a while. It didn't take him long to figure out that he didn't really care about it as much as he always thought he would when the day came, if it did occur at all. Smiling at that insight, Iruka knew just what to do. Tilting his head up, he kissed Kakashi until neither man had any question as to what was going to happen between them.

Kakashi nearly cried out in joy when he felt Iruka step towards him, forcing the jounin to pedal backwards until his knees hit the edge of the bed. Refusing to break their passionate kiss, he awkwardly sat down on the mattress as Iruka leaned forwards. Scooting backwards, he felt the bed dip as Iruka's weight was added to it.

Letting his fingers travel along the jounin's skin, Iruka mapped out every bit of his torso, cataloguing each of the telling depressions of scars that were nearly invisible against Kakashi's pale flesh. He finally broke their kiss, gasping for air as he sat back on his heels long enough for Kakashi to rearrange his legs so that the teacher was sitting between them.

With the jounin's long limbs on either side of him, Iruka felt color begin to creep up his neck. Any thoughts of taking a moment to blush disappeared when he felt Kakashi take his right hand and begin to suck on his index and middle finger. The jounin's tongue running along the digits reminded Iruka of earlier when Kakashi was sucking his cock. Iruka's member twitched at the delicious memory and the teacher couldn't help but whimper softly.

Kakashi smirked, lowering his gaze as he continued to mimic his earlier actions, knowing full well that it was slowly driving Iruka insane. Curling his tongue around the brunet's middle finger, he sucked and licked until he was satisfied that the digits were wet enough. Releasing the teacher's fingers – somewhat reluctantly, since he had come to realize that, no matter what part of Iruka he tasted, it was all addictive – Kakashi looked to his lover expectantly.

Nibbling on his lower lip to keep the telling crimson from his cheeks, Iruka slowly brought his hand between Kakashi's spread legs. The teacher didn't look down to see what he was doing. He knew that, if he did so, he would most certainly feel the embarrassment that was threatening to erupt, but was somehow just barely being held at bay now that his body cared about little else other than finding release.

The jounin swallowed audibly as Iruka kept his dark eyes trained on his face. Few partners ever had the guts to look at him directly when being intimate – it was somehow an unspoken agreement between them that, since they felt nothing for one another, they would not go through the motions of feigning emotion towards each other. For some reason, that included looking each other in the eye unless absolutely necessary.

Iruka pressed his fingers against Kakashi's entrance, studying the jounin for any indication he was doing something wrong. Learning from a textbook was one thing – actually sitting between a beautiful man's legs and getting ready to make love to him was another thing entirely. Slowly, he pushed one finger into Kakashi, amazed at how tight the jounin was. There was no way he was going to fit!

Kakashi nearly laughed at the surprise that filled Iruka's eyes at discovering that he was not at all a seasoned uke. Any seme who cared about his partner would be able to tell that, in fact, Kakashi rarely, if ever, let someone else inside him. The jounin would have stressed the 'if ever,' but knew better than to tell Iruka that it was his first time being uke. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that would bring their interlude to a screeching halt and that was the last thing he wanted to do. No, in the name of self-preservation and for the sake of his sanity, Kakashi kept quiet about that particular fact.

"Just go slow," he encouraged, hoping that Iruka would start moving his finger soon or else he would grow old before he ever got fucked. To help the teacher get out of his amazed stupor, Kakashi pushed his hips down on his lover's lubricated finger, further impaling himself. Ignoring the momentary twinge of pain as his muscles began stretching to accommodate that sole finger, Kakashi instead began to rock his hips.

Iruka blinked a few times when he felt Kakashi begin moving, wondering if someone was always that tight. Seeing that the jounin was not in pain – actually, it looked like he didn't mind the intrusion at all – Iruka began meeting his lover's thrusts.

Arching his hips, Kakashi nearly cried out as Iruka hit his prostate. He was momentarily stunned at the blinding pleasure that shot through him. Kakashi was certain that it was, by far, the most amazing sensation he had ever felt, only to realize that having Iruka's cock inside him would be even better. That thought alone was almost enough to make him come. The jounin bit down on his lip, letting out a muffled sound as he angled his hips so that Iruka would hit that spot again.

Years of anatomy classes told Iruka exactly why Kakashi was softly whimpering – his limited knowledge of sex had very little detail on homosexual relationships other than stretching his lover. Smiling at the airy sounds coming out of Kakashi, he repeatedly pressed against his lover's prostate, adding a second finger when he thought the jounin was loose enough.

Kakashi nearly screamed when he felt Iruka's second finger press against his entrance. If he thought one finger was mind-blowing, two was enough to fry every nerve ending in his body. His entire being cried for the brunet – for Iruka's member to replace those fingers that were gently stretching him.

After what seemed like an eternity to the jounin, those fingers left him. For a moment, he was about to demand to know why Iruka stopped his sensual torture, but the thought fled his mind when he felt something press against his entrance that was definitely not one of his lover's fingers.

Slowly, Iruka pushed into his lover, a part of him still certain that there was no way he could possibly fit inside the jounin without hurting Kakashi. That little bit of restraint was quickly shredded to bits when he felt the silver-haired man shift his hips, pressing down on Iruka's cock.

Gasping was the only thing Kakashi could do as he impaled himself on Iruka's member. Iruka's fingers inside him were nothing compared to this. A slight burning sensation running up his back told Kakashi he was certainly going to be sore later, but at the moment, the almost painful stretching was well worth it. Having the teacher slowly bury his cock inside him was perhaps the greatest thing Kakashi had ever experienced.

Beginning to understand an uke's preference for being on bottom, the jounin bit his lower lip to muffle a scream when Iruka brushed against his prostrate. Realizing he had been right – that the teacher's erection was indescribably better than his fingers – Kakashi could only whimper as he angled his hips so that his lover continued to press against that spot.

Buried completely inside Kakashi, Iruka finally let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding in. Proving himself wrong – that it was possible to fit inside the jounin – Iruka remained still as he let his lover grow accustomed to his size. Fighting the instinct to rock his hips and thrust into Kakashi, Iruka instead focused his attention on the sensations racing through his body.

His lover was so tight, but the feeling of those muscles wrapped around his member – added to the heat that surrounded his cock – was the greatest thing Iruka had ever experienced. Groaning softly, Iruka bowed his head and captured Kakashi's lips in a hungry kiss.

Tasting every inch of his lover's mouth, even the teacher himself was surprised at his boldness, but that didn't stop him from sucking on Kakashi's tongue, his lips – if he could, he would have licked, sucked, and nibbled his lover's tonsils. Whatever it was about Kakashi's kisses, Iruka found them indescribably addictive.

When they finally broke apart for air, Kakashi rocked his hips, hoping Iruka would get the hint and begin fucking his brains out – not that he didn't wholly enjoy Iruka's demanding, downright sexy kiss, but he could think of little else other than the cock inside him. When the teacher didn't immediately do as he wordlessly demanded, Kakashi spoke, "Iruka… please!"

Hearing Kakashi's deep voice, cracking with need and desperation, stole Iruka's restraint away in an instant. Nearly pulling out of his lover completely, the teacher slammed back into him. That single act elicited a hoarse cry from Kakashi. Freezing while still buried deep inside Kakashi, he looked up at his lover in concern. He was sure he had been too rough and that soft scream was one of pain, so Iruka was surprised when he saw confusion in those mismatched orbs.

"D-Don't you dare stop," Kakashi whimpered breathlessly as he rolled his hips against Iruka's, forcing his lover's cock even deeper inside him. This time, the brunet acquiesced and began slowly pulling out and thrusting back inside him, but with nowhere near the same strength as before. A part of the jounin was glad for that – that single, powerful thrust had made his vision go black for a moment and he wasn't sure if he could survive a repeat of the blinding pleasure that had caused him to scream.

Iruka kept his eyes fixed on Kakashi, watching for any indication he was hurting his lover – that he was doing something wrong – but there were no other signs than the hitched gasps of air and soft sounds erupting from the jounin's throat. Gradually, Iruka began speeding up from the painfully slow pace he had started out with, his body growing accustomed to the rhythmic movements.

Unconsciously, with each thrust, Iruka rammed against his lover's prostate, leaving Kakashi breathless as the jounin tried to match his lover's thrusts, but his body refused to be controlled by intelligent thought. Instead, his legs tightened around Iruka's torso, further impaling himself on the brunet's cock and sending jolts of pleasure through him. His hands desperately gripped the sheets as he dropped his head back, moaning his lover's name softly.

Hearing his name on Kakashi's lips – and having it said so wantonly – made a shiver of ecstasy run down Iruka's back. A part of the teacher couldn't help but feel a wave of pride over the fact that, despite his innocence, he could still bring the jounin pleasure.

What remained of Iruka's modesty flew out the window when the teacher mustered the nerve to shift his gaze away from Kakashi's flushed face. Chocolate eyes grazed across the older man's pale skin that glistened with sweat. Watching the rapid rise and fall of Kakashi's muscular chest, the tightening of his abdominals as he rose to meet each thrust, and the beads of moisture trickling down the contours of his solid frame, Iruka's hands itched to touch the beautiful man underneath him.

Kakashi nearly screamed when tanned fingers ghosted across his torso, leaving a burning trail in their wake. Involuntarily, his body arched, leaning into the feathery touches that were growing bolder by the moment. When those fingers ran across his hip – torturously close to his throbbing erection – the only thing Kakashi could do was buck against his lover.

"I-Iruka!" The jounin's voice held a pleading tone, an unspoken request that Iruka complied with as he let out a hoarse chuckle. Impatient was another word that described his pale lover perfectly.

Wrapping his fingers around Kakashi's rigid member, Iruka looked back up into his lover's face. Focusing on the eyes staring back at him, Iruka was dumbfounded by the unmistakable warmth and affection in those mismatched orbs.

Kakashi didn't feel anything for him – how could he? Iruka inwardly shook his head in disbelief, wondering if it was just wishful thinking on his part. Instead of dwelling on that thought or its implications, the brunet began sliding his hand along his lover's erection.

Able to do little else, Kakashi cried out softly as his lover began pumping him in-time with his thrusts. Whatever he thought it felt like to be uke, it was nothing like this. The little pain he had felt at first was gone, replaced by a pleasure no other lover had ever given him. A part of the jounin had to wonder if it was entirely because he was the submissive one or if it was because of the handsome teacher he had fallen in love with.

Hooking a leg over his lover's shoulder, the jounin changed the angle of his hips and was instantly rewarded with a shock of pleasure that nearly had him screaming. Instead, he found the strength to push himself up off the bed, meeting his lover's powerful thrusts. Though the muscles in his arms and back quivered at the strain of having all his weight on them as he rocked back and forth, impaling himself on that glorious cock, Kakashi had never felt better.

Ignoring his own gasps and moans, Kakashi could hear the unmistakable slap of flesh against flesh as his lover fucked him. That delicious noise nearly overpowered the sounds coming out of Iruka, but the jounin was still able to hear the teacher's labored breathing.

Kakashi had to blink several times in order to focus his gaze on Iruka's face. His mismatched eyes trailed over features that glistened with moisture, hungrily memorizing the way the handsome man bit his lower lip in an attempt to quiet himself. His scarred cheeks were flushed, but somehow that tinge didn't clash with his honeyed skin. Kakashi had never seen anything more beautiful and, unable to help himself, he copied the image of Iruka's pleasure-filled face.

"Kakashi…"

The jounin didn't have to hear anything other than his name escape from Iruka's lips to know what was going through the teacher's mind at that moment. The hitched gasp that was formed around his name told the silver-haired man almost as much as the quickening of Iruka's thrusts.

Tightening his grip on Kakashi's erection, Iruka bit down hard on his lower lip. His little remaining self-control was fleeing him as heat began to pool in his lower body. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, the teacher could only wonder about this new, uninhibited side of himself, but at the moment, all the brunet cared about was giving his lover the same kind of pleasure he was feeling.

Kakashi arched his back as Iruka's movements became more demanding. No longer could he call the teacher's rhythm thrusting – the compassionate brunet was ramming his cock into Kakashi to the point the jounin was certain he wouldn't be leaving that bed for some time. Instead of feeling pain or soreness, the jounin found himself returning the rough pace as wave after wave of mind-numbing pleasure rolled over him.

"I-Iruka!" Kakashi hoarsely cried out his lover's name as a new, burning sensation began to race through him. Every muscle in the jounin tightened as he clenched the sheets beneath him. Feeling the change in his lover, it took the innocent teacher several moments to understand Kakashi's response, but that realization did not come soon enough.

Surprised, Iruka glanced down when a searing heat hit his abdomen. Fascinated and aroused by the sight of his lover coming, the brunet watched as ribbons of cum coated his hand and torso. That, mixed in with the sounds of pleasure coming out of Kakashi, it was no wonder Iruka found himself crying out mere moments later.

Kakashi whimpered as he felt his lover come inside him. If feeling the throb of Iruka's cock was the best sensation he had ever felt, then watching the teacher's face was the single greatest sight Kakashi had ever seen.

Sagging forward limply, the last bit of energy leaked out of Iruka. If he'd had the strength, he was certain he would have started to have one of his blushing fits, but at the moment, all he could do was tremble as he tried to hold himself up enough that he didn't crush the jounin beneath him. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized that he certainly wouldn't harm Kakashi by laying on him – the man was, after all, the infamous Copy Ninja. He could deal with a little extra weight on top of him.

With that, Iruka rested most of his body weight on Kakashi. Instinctively, the jounin's arms snaked around him as the two gasped for air.

"Shit," was the first thing that came to Kakashi's mind as he dropped his head back against the mattress. He wasn't aware that he had spoken it aloud until he heard the teacher's snort.

"We have to work on your vocabulary," Iruka mumbled thickly as he turned his head to the side, pressing an ear against the jounin's pounding heart as he brushed his lips against the older man's pale neck. Content with just listening to the silver-haired man's rapid heartbeat as he tasted the saltiness of his skin, Iruka found himself lulled into a half-awake state until the jounin spoke again.

"For a first time, that was… amazing." Surprise filled the pervert's deep voice. Iruka could only blink several times as a blush began to creep up his neck and across his scarred cheeks.

Iruka's silence made Kakashi wince. As mind-blowing, life-altering, and otherwise perfect as it had been, Kakashi felt the need to tell the younger man the complete truth. Then again, maybe right now was not the best time to tell his lover that it had, in fact, been his first time as uke. The next words out of Iruka's mouth, however, erased any thoughts of testing whether or not his second time would be as amazing as his first. For a genius, it took Kakashi a pitifully long period of time to figure out what those three seemingly harmless words actually meant.

"Oh… y-you knew?"

--

Authoress: Kuku…I'm sorry, I can't help with the cliffhangers! Even when it is at the end of a lemon! *smiles innocently* But, I do hope to resolve a few things next chapter! So, if that isn't a hint that the whole "bet" is going to be exposed, I don't know what is!

B.Z.: ....**needs CPR**

Authoress: And thank you to the lovely B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter…I just hope she can revive herself for next time!! *drools happily* Kuku! So, until next time, ja ne!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Authoress: Gomen everyone for taking so long to write this chapter – I am currently spending a month in Guatemala, taking an honors class on Mayan culture and the conquistadors…so I haven't had much free time lately. But I'm putting off all that work so I can feed the Yaoi addiction! YOSH!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…ahh, but it would be a wonderful world if I did!

**Chapter Sixteen**

_"Oh… y-you knew?"_

Kakashi's fingers froze in the middle of drawing lazy circles on his lover's back when understanding finally dawned on him. There was only one way he could interpret those three airy words, but everything in the jounin screamed that his conclusion had to be wrong.

That had been the single greatest sexual encounter of Kakashi's life – there was no way that his bronzed lover could not have had a fount of experience to draw off of in order to pleasure the jounin so well. Though the thought of Iruka having numerous other lovers left a bad taste in the Copy Ninja's mouth, he would have preferred that to the truth that now bashed against his head as his fingertips registered the thick scars stretching across Iruka's back.

Those firm and uneven ridges, silken against the calluses on Kakashi's hands, were ones that almost made the jounin wince as his fingers continued their slow path along Iruka's back. Iruka had nearly died by the hands of his lover – hadn't that been what Ichiraku's owner had told him? But could it be possible everyone assumed there was a sexual relationship where there had been none? And Kakashi all too quickly agreed with them because he never imagined that a man so handsome, kind, and wholly perfect could possibly have remained an innocent so long.

The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched upwards as he made up his mind. He may be Iruka's first bedpartner, but he was going to do everything he could to make sure he would be the brunet's first, last and only lover. With that, he let out a soft huff of air. Damn his newfound inability to keep anything from Iruka.

"I didn't know it was your first time," Kakashi said softly as he brushed his lips against the teacher's sweaty forehead. Tasting the saltiness of his lover's skin, the jounin wanted to lick and taste every inch of the younger man, but curbed his desires for the moment. "I'm sorry… had I known… I-I would have-"

Kakashi was cut off when he heard a soft snort come from his lover. "You would have what?" Iruka quietly asked as he shifted so he could prop himself up and look into those mismatched eyes. "Taken things slower? If I remember right, I was in control and I set the pace…"

"But-"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kakashi," Iruka pointed out, wondering where the jounin's newfound chivalry had come from. "We are both consenting adults. I just happen to not have very much experience in this kind of thing…" The teacher winced at how flippant his comment came out. Even to his own ears, it sounded like their lovemaking had meant nothing to him other than a good lay. It was anything but, but how could Iruka put into words what he felt for Kakashi when he himself wasn't even sure what it was?

Blinking several times, Iruka focused his attention on anything other than the warmth in his chest, finally coming up with curiosity at Kakashi's earlier statement. _For a first time… _repeated the jounin's comment, along with Kakashi's admission of not knowing about his virginity, several times before he came up with an outlandish idea. No matter how seemingly impossible it was, it was the only one that made sense.

"It was your first time too?" Iruka all but mouthed as he stared at the jounin, his chocolate gaze focusing on the pink tinge creeping into Kakashi's pale cheeks as the older man looked away.

"A-as uke," Kakashi admitted softly, wondering why he felt embarrassed by that statement. He had done many things with other lovers – and most of those things far more sexual and/or perverse than anything Iruka's virgin mind could come up with – but having Iruka know that he was the first person Kakashi ever fully submitted to was something that got the infamous shinobi to blush furiously. Waiting for the snort of disbelief or outright gaping, Kakashi was astonished by Iruka's response.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry if I was too rough or if I had gone too fast-"

Kakashi effectively quieted the teacher by kissing those protesting lips before Iruka got a chance to let out the second round of unnecessary apologies. What started out as just a way to silence the compassionate teacher quickly turned into a breathless mating of tongues as hands relocated themselves, retracing every inch of the other shinobi.

Moaning softly into his lover's mouth, Iruka trailed his fingers along Kakashi's pale skin, mesmerized by the impossible softness of that flesh. Soft, but at the same time as solid as rock – his lover's body was one that was a conundrum that Iruka was more than happy to begin trying to unravel. Recalling how Kakashi had touched him that morning, Iruka mirrored those actions as the tips of his fingers raked down the jounin's pectorals, flitting over his already erect nipples.

Kakashi couldn't help but whimper as the teacher's fingers continued trailing downwards, mapping out each defined muscle and every scar as though there was going to be some kind of test afterwards. The mere thought of bringing Iruka's profession into the bedroom gave the pervert a whole host of ideas for sensual lessons he could give his brunet.

Iruka gasped as he felt a distinct hardness press against his leg. Breaking away from their kiss, the teacher eyed his lover for a moment before working up the courage to glance down at the stiffened member just begging to be touched. A blush immediately erupted across his cheeks as Iruka was caught between wanting to be mortified at arousing the jounin so easily and staring at him so blatantly while simultaneously fighting the desire to touch Kakashi again and have his lover make those delicious sounds he had earlier.

"P-please, Iruka…" Kakashi caught one of the teacher's wrists with his hand and relocated it on the base of his member. The feel of his own cool palm brushing against his cock was nothing in comparison to the fiery heat of his lover's hesitant fingers.

Iruka blushed even more as he turned his head away and mumbled under his breath. Knowing his lover had not understood him, judging from the look he could feel Kakashi giving him, Iruka took a steadying breath and repeated himself. "I don't know what to do…"

The teacher was not surprised when he heard Kakashi's laughter – having fully expected to be mocked for his lack of knowledge – but Kakashi's verbal response was one he was not prepared for.

"Then I will teach you," Kakashi said thickly, his voice deepening as he looked into his lover's eyes. Shifting, the jounin pressed his lips against the brunet's sensitive neck before smiling and continuing his statement, "I am a sensei after all…"

XX

Leaning against the doorframe, Kakashi kept his eyes trained on the backside of his lover. Trying to ignore the positively dirty thoughts going through his mind, he watched Iruka as the anal man scrubbed a seemingly spotless part of his classroom floor.

If he could, he would have offered to help – or to throw Iruka down on the floor and give the teacher a real reason to clean it – but in the past two weeks of pure bliss, the jounin had come to discover that, in order to be happy, Iruka had to do things his own way. That applied greatly to cleaning, organizing, cooking – and just about everything else Kakashi knew little about. So, instead of getting down on the floor and probably making more of a mess for Iruka to clean, he just leaned against the door, swinging the teacher's pack and watching the independent man's butt sway to a melody only Iruka could hear.

Finally – much to the relief of Kakashi's libido – Iruka sat back on his heels and began putting his cleaning supplies back in their neatly organized bucket. The corners of Kakashi's mouth quirked upwards as he moved silently into the room. Plucking the bucket out of Iruka's hands as he unnecessarily helped the teacher off the floor, Kakashi pecked his lover once on the lips before moving to return the cleaning supplies back to their rightful place in the closet in the back of the room.

"I thought you had a mission with Team Seven today," Iruka commented softly as the jounin returned to his side, wrapping his lanky arms around the teacher and nuzzling him as though it had been an eternity since he had last seen Iruka, when in fact it had been just this morning that Iruka had to order his lover off to meet with his own students. Then again, they had both been running late this morning because what had begun as a quick shower on Iruka's part had turned into a steamy event worthy of one of Kakashi's beloved Icha Icha novels.

"They finished early…" Kakashi replied slyly, not wanting to tell his lover that he had threatened his students with an afternoon with Gai if they did not finish their D-rank mission before lunchtime, so he could get back to the village before Iruka got off of work. Of course, he didn't tell his students his reasons for wanting to get back to Konoha so quickly – though those little perverted bastards probably guessed it.

Those three demons, along with Pakkun, had seen him that first morning – and somehow, despite his best attempts to hide it, they had realized he was sore. It took no stretch of the imagination on their part to figure out why their sensei was giggling like a schoolgirl and limping like he had fallen down a flight of concrete stairs. No, what took imagination was all the ways they tortured him with their knowledge of his and Iruka's sex life. Yesterday, he had gotten a year's supply of ramen-flavored lube. That bastard Sasuke had somehow found Kakashi's weakness for anything having to do with Iruka and those strangely erotic noodles. A part of Kakashi was afraid to meet with his team, not wanting to discover that there was no end to his team's perversion or Sasuke's wallet. He and Iruka had already received every kind of toy known to mankind from his team, though Kakashi was sure to hide those presents away before his lover found out that those three teens were just as perverse as their sensei. If he ever got the chance to use them, Kakashi would certainly not tell Iruka where he had gotten them from.

Loosening his hold on Iruka, Kakashi settled to lace his fingers between his lover's as they began to walk out of the academy. Kakashi had been surprised at first at how open Iruka was about their relationship around others, but now just simply enjoyed the feel of Iruka's hand in his or the gentle brush of lips against his masked cheek. If anyone dared to give them odd looks for their affectionate displays, they never made the mistake a second time. Kakashi made sure of that.

"So how were classes?" Kakashi asked, genuinely curious about Iruka's students. With each passing day, the jounin understood Iruka's love for his classes more and more. On a few occasions, he even watched Iruka teach and was amazed at the patience and compassion the brunet showed towards the children Iruka considered to be their village's greatest achievement. Despite his long-standing hatred for the younger generations, he was starting to enjoy those little brats simply because they made Iruka smile.

"Everyone hated me today – I gave them a pop quiz on Konoha's history because they refused to quiet down," Iruka replied with a devious smirk that told the jounin his lover was one person he never wanted to cross. Unable to help himself, Kakashi chuckled before he leaned in and brushed his lips against Iruka's. Even with the thin material separating them, a thrilling shiver still went down the silver-haired man's back.

That sensation was quickly quashed when a new feeling erupted throughout the jounin. As his hair stood on end, he pulled away from Iruka and looked ahead, his instincts telling him that the source of his unease was in front of them. Seeing spandex, he understood the immediate sense of discomfort.

"My Eternal Rival!" Gai cried at a decibel even impressive for the overly-enthusiastic man. Wincing at his tone, Kakashi tried to pretend like his best friend didn't exist, but realized that wasn't an option when Gai continued speaking. "It Seems You Have Won Our Youthful Challenge On Finding Love With The Wonderful Iruka-Sensei!"

Grimacing, Kakashi recalled their bet from several weeks ago. Surprisingly, he had not thought about it once since he actually started getting to know the brunet. Other than pushing him to meet Iruka and talk to the teacher, that bet had nothing to do with their relationship, so Kakashi had never even thought to tell Iruka about their so-called challenge.

Still having his fingers interlaced with his lover's, Kakashi could feel the teacher's entire body freeze as soon as Gai's words registered in his head. Dread filled him as he turned to look at Iruka's face in order to see his lover's reaction to Gai's statement. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not the blatant betrayal in watery eyes. That response stole the breath from Kakashi as though he had been punched in the abdomen.

Iruka didn't say anything as he loosened his hand from Kakashi's – and in many ways, that silence hurt the jounin far more than if Iruka had yelled at him, hit him, or displayed some of the bipolar personality he had. No, the look of defeat in Iruka's face was far more painful than any physical response the teacher could have had.

"I-Iruka…" Kakashi trailed off, not sure what he could possibly say to his lover to erase that expression in his eyes, that small crack in the teacher's otherwise emotionless features. He had the feeling there was nothing he could say or do at the moment to help his cause, but that did not stop the genius from trying to think of a way to save his budding relationship with Iruka.

The teacher did not speak, nor did he react to Kakashi's soft plea in any way other than to look away, his eyes focusing on Gai as he continued moving forwards without Kakashi at his side. Time seemed to slow for the jounin as Iruka walked away. Suddenly, the teacher stopped and turned his head so Kakashi could just barely see his lips as he spoke softly.

"Do you regret making the bet?"

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows, pondering over Iruka's words. He was sorry it hurt his lover – or more so, sorry that Gai's uncouth exclamation of it had made him upset. Yet, that bet had given him the push he had unknowingly needed in order to find a love he never believed existed. Because of Gai and his idiocy, Kakashi had discovered Iruka and fell head over heels in love with the anal, bipolar, and hormonal teacher. And, because of his best friend, Kakashi had finally won at a bet that made a great deal of sense. Without a second thought, Kakashi replied, "No, I don't regret it. I won, didn't I?"

Iruka turned away and began walking before Kakashi could see the tears beginning to escape his eyes as he bit down on his lips to stifle his sobs. Despite the blood pounding in his ears, the teacher could still hear his lover's words repeating in his head. There was only one way Iruka could take Kakashi's declaration – he was proud for betting on love. But for someone like Kakashi – someone obviously incapable of romantic feelings – it was not love he was finding, but something much more physical. Kakashi did not regret it because he got sex out of his and Gai's bet.

How could he have been so stupid as to play along with their bet? He had hoped to prove something to Kakashi – to make the jounin regret entering into such a stupid agreement – but even after unintentionally losing his heart to the emotionless jounin, he still couldn't do it. He couldn't make Kakashi love him. Closing his eyes before the tears began streaming down his face, Iruka performed the fastest transportation jutsu of his life and disappeared before Kakashi could continue breaking his heart with his unfeeling words.

Kakashi remained still as the cloud of smoke erased his lover from his view. He did not have to see Iruka's face to know the brunet was upset at his answer, but damned if he knew why. He had just told his lover that he had fallen in love with him and Iruka acts like he had just performed the ultimate betrayal. Never before had he seen that tightness in the teacher's shoulders, nor heard that wavering tone to his voice. The jounin hated to admit it, but seeing Iruka's reaction had hurt him and he had no idea why.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon?" Gai stated in surprisingly hushed tones as he came to stand before his best friend, who was as still as a statue as he stared at the ground in confusion. Pale eyebrows knitted together tightly as the jounin continued to keep his gaze downwards.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kakashi finally asked as he looked up, replaying the past several minutes in his head several times, but was still unsure what had set his lover off. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Gai's head began shaking in frustration.

"If I was Iruka, you probably wouldn't be standing right now," Gai said, his normally bouncy voice deepened with darker emotions. Hearing those words, Kakashi realized he must have said something very wrong for Gai to be feeling anger on Iruka's behalf.

"But… I fell in love with him, so I won the bet. I don't regret that," Kakashi pointed out logically as he studied his friend, who simply rolled his eyes at the silver-haired jounin's response.

"Did you ever tell Iruka what you felt for him?" Gai spoke slowly, as though addressing a child. The instant confusion in Kakashi's eyes told the Green Beast all he needed to know about Kakashi's botched attempts at a relationship. "Everyone thinks you are emotionless – I'm one of the few who knows otherwise. Iruka must have assumed that you just took our bet on love to be something purely physical… that's why he looked angry when I told him about our bet…" It was as though a light bulb went off in the man's vacant head as he began quietly ranting to himself.

"Angry… I wouldn't call _that _angry," Kakashi said softly, recalling the pain in his lover's features. No, there was certainly no anger in Iruka after Gai told him he won their bet.

"No, a few weeks ago, I told him about our youthful bet… I had no idea you harbored something for him, or else I would have never said anything."

Weeks – Iruka had known about their bet for _weeks_, yet he still played along. He still went out on dates with Kakashi, he still held conversations with him, kissed him, touched him, and eventually made love to him. Those were not the actions of an angry person. No, not even Iruka was that good of an actor. Replaying the past several weeks, putting himself in Iruka's place – knowing about their bet and still going along with it – Kakashi finally began understanding what Gai was talking about. Iruka would have all too easily assumed Kakashi had replaced "love" with "lust" when it came to their youthful challenge. Hadn't he even started out thinking he could bed the teacher and be done with it? How could he have expected Iruka to think differently?

"You understand now?" Gai asked quietly, seeing the astonished comprehension in his best friend's visible features. For once, Kakashi was able to understand someone else's perspective and whatever conclusion he came to was one that floored the jounin.

It didn't take Kakashi more than a moment to figure out Iruka's motivations for playing along with all of this. He had been angry and, as Kakashi had quickly come to learn about his lover, Iruka was a vengeful person when he thought someone had been wronged. The brunet had played along, wanting Kakashi to fall in love with him because, in his mind, that would be the ultimate punishment. But it all went horribly wrong – or wonderfully right – at some point. There was no way Iruka had feigned all of his emotions. He had to have started feeling something for Kakashi. Whatever that feeling was, it was one that made them into lovers and close friends. It was that same emotion that brought that pain and betrayal to Iruka's face earlier.

Unknowingly, Kakashi smiled as he realized that not all was lost. If Iruka had felt something for him once, he would do everything he had to in order to find out what that 'something' was. In that same thought, he knew he would tell the teacher his own feelings until there was no doubt in Iruka's mind that Kakashi wholly and completely loved him.

"W-what should I do?" Kakashi asked softly, unsure what exact steps he should take in order to beg for his lover's forgiveness for being an ass for so long. He knew he couldn't just go camp out on Iruka's doorstep until the brunet took him back. No, he had to do something more – something that not even Iruka could ignore or brush off as the actions of a horny jounin.

XX

Iruka glared at the vase of flowers on his desk with disdain. The first vase he had gotten over a week ago – one that had inexplicably made its way onto his kitchen table the morning after he and Kakashi had met up with Gai – was blood red roses. It was a generic present, one that immediately told Iruka that the beautiful bouquet he had gotten from "Kakashi" had certainly not been from the jounin.

Two hours and many screams later, Iruka had three teenagers bawling as they told him their part in Kakashi's seduction of him. Now knowing that much of Kakashi's advances were in fact his students taking things into their own hands, Iruka could not help but feel uncertain how much of the man he had fallen in love with was in fact real. How much was a façade put on so that Kakashi could win that stupid bet with Gai?

Looking once again at the flowers, Iruka sighed. Today, they were beautiful lilies and, had he not been in such a bad mood, he might have even enjoyed them slightly. Of course, it was only a matter of time before Kakashi figured out his favorite flower. Iruka was certain that the man must have bought out every flower shop in Konoha and Suna in the past week and a half and put a small fortune into other presents. The chocolates, the little gifts where he least expected them, and then there was the horribly written poetry! It was enough to drive Iruka crazy!

Taking a deep breath, Iruka picked up the flowery gift and deposited it in the garbage can; it was the same fate for every present he had gotten. It had actually been two days since he had gotten flowers, so Iruka was hoping that Kakashi had finally gotten the hint and was going to leave him alone. As much as the thought of losing Kakashi forever hurt, Iruka knew that dragging out this strange wooing would only result in hurting him even more when Kakashi finally gave up.

Iruka could not figure out why Kakashi was still trying to get him back even after winning his bet with Gai. He did not want to get his hopes up, but in the recesses of his mind, Iruka still pretended that all of this was done by a man in love. But then cold reality struck and Iruka remembered that Kakashi did not love him.

The next few hours in the Missions Office blurred together, just like every day had since he had wordlessly broken up with Kakashi. Finally, Iruka glanced up from his work as he numbly signed off on mission reports and saw that it was almost time for him to go home. Alone. Like every other night. It was depressing – Iruka had been putting in extra hours and working over time just so that he didn't have to stay at home. Never before had he needed company, but now, his house was oppressive in its silence where there had once been the laughter and voice of a jounin.

Glancing back down at his work, Iruka looked through the final few papers, but sighed when he realized that they could only keep him in the Missions Office for another half hour or so. So caught up in his thoughts, he jerked back when a new sheet of paper landed on top of his hands. Looking up through hooded eyes, Iruka saw the beginning of an average shinobi uniform. Black pants encasing strong legs, black shirt and green jacket covering a muscular chest. Iruka did not have to look any further than the beginning of that vest to know who the tall, thin man standing before him was.

He knew those legs and hips – they had been wrapped around him so tightly, it was as though they were trying to become part of him. He knew that slim waist – he knew the one spot that sent its owner into peals of laughter. He knew the strong arms that lazily fell to his sides, those gloved hands… every inch of the person before him was as familiar to him as his own body.

The familiarity – the way his body cried out to the man before him – was anything but calming. It sent his heart racing and constricted his throat. Over a week did not lessen his feelings for _him_. Over a week of not seeing him or hearing his voice had done nothing other than make Iruka miss him all the more.

Taking as deep a breath as his compressed lungs would allow, Iruka glanced down at the paper that had been thrown on his hands. Expecting some kind of messy, stained report, Iruka was astonished to find the sheet of paper a pristine white and the only things written on it were two words.

_Ichiraku's tonight?_

Iruka's breath caught in his throat as he recalled those words from what seemed like an eternity ago. Swallowing heavily several times as he blinked to erase the wetness from his eyes, Iruka finally worked up the courage to look up. When his gaze reached the man's face, Iruka found himself looking at something he'd never expected to see again.

The man standing before him was not simply beautiful. No, he was much more than that. He was everything Iruka could have ever asked for. In those mismatched eyes was warmth that the teacher could understand and appreciate. There was pride in his stance, stubbornness in his jaw, and an aura of strength and discipline that surrounded him.

Iruka's breath caught in his throat as he focused his gaze on his entire face, finally recalling where they were. Tearing his eyes away from that face, Iruka glanced around and could see the wide-eyed stares and gaping mouths that immediately told the teacher no one had missed this particular display. No, the teacher was sure that within an hour, the whole village would know exactly what the infamous Copy Ninja hid under his mask.

"I-Iruka…" The brunet's gaze immediately returned to the jounin before him. Anyone now could see that Kakashi bit his lip when he was nervous – and nervous was the only way to describe the powerful shinobi. Sweat glistened on his fully uncovered brow and his breathing was so rapid, it was amazing he could get any oxygen at all.

Iruka was seriously beginning to doubt if the jounin was getting enough oxygen to his brain when the tall man moved. Shuffling around the desk, Kakashi came to stand before Iruka and, in front of the entire Missions Office, went down on one knee. All the teacher could do was gasp as he realized that, for the first time in over a week, he could easily reach out and touch the man he loved. Unconsciously, he did just that, but Iruka's hand froze halfway to Kakashi's face when he heard the jounin swallow heavily.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi whispered as he searched Iruka's face for any indication that he had not horribly misjudged the teacher's feelings for him and that he was just making an ass out of himself. The watery eyes that met his told him that he finally got something right.

"I am sorry I hurt you, but not sorry for the bet. You were right – at first, I thought I could just seduce you, but then I got to know you. I found out you were smart, funny, strong, loyal… but most of all, you were compassionate, understanding – everything I'm not." Kakashi bowed his head, taking a deep breath as he recalled the words he had written down so many times, only to crumple up the sheets of paper and throw them at Gai's head as they tried to figure out how he should beg Iruka for forgiveness. "I am not sorry for that stupid bet. Because of it, I fell in love with a man I don't deserve."

"Kaka-" Kakashi held up a hand, silencing Iruka before he could begin to respond to the jounin's declaration. If he didn't get all of it out in one breath, Kakashi was certain he would somehow botch it up.

"I knew I loved you even before we became lovers. I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now. I should have told you every morning and every night – every chance I got. And, if you can ever forgive me, I will do that. You will never again be unsure of my feelings for you. I will never keep any secrets from you – I will never hide anything-"

Before Kakashi got the chance to go into the second paragraph of his much-revised declaration of love, Iruka let out a soft whimper. That was the jounin's only warning before he found himself being kissed by the man of his dreams. For once in his life, the genius did not think of the implications of that kiss. Instead, he simply bathed in the warmth of his lover, taking in the teacher's strong arms around him, the man's distinct scent and taste. Kakashi recalled with perfect clarity the softness of Iruka's lips, the feel of his tongue.

Moaning softly, the jounin returned the kiss without a single thought towards the crowd of drooling shinobi staring at the couple in awe and, in many cases, arousal.

Finally, a loud, awkward cough broke the amorous pair apart. Kakashi felt his face flame up in a very unbecoming blush as he focused his gaze on his lover. Seeing Iruka's expression, there was no longer a doubt in Kakashi's mind as to what the teacher felt towards him. Sure that he had to have done something positively saintly in a past life, Kakashi was about to act on his newfound luck, but another cough stopped him in his tracks.

"If you don't mind, I think these gossip whores have gotten enough material for one day. Throwing Iruka down on the table and taking him would probably fry their brains." Kakashi almost laughed when he heard his leader's comment, but knew better than to correct her as to their positions. It would only add to the rumors that were certainly going to arise.

"Then I guess we'll be leaving," Kakashi replied quickly, flashing the Hokage a blinding smile that momentarily stunned the busty woman. The poor chuunin and jounin had no chance – with one smile, the Mission Office seemed to overflow with loving sighs and little hearts. "And Iruka will be taking the next two weeks off."

Before Tsunade or anyone else could ask as to why Iruka would need two weeks of vacation – or let their perverse minds fill in the blanks, which would only result in a nosebleed epidemic – the two shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Tsunade could only cackle as she turned and walked back out of the Mission Office. As part of Naruto's little "gang", she had been quite well informed of Iruka and Kakashi's relationship this whole time. She had heard the rumors among the members that Kakashi had said he had true feelings for Iruka, but she – like everyone else short of Naruto – had known of his bet with Gai. Naruto was kept out of that particular loop because WASABI knew their leader would not be able to stop himself from throttling Kakashi.

As far as finding out about their little bet, that was all too easy. The Green Beast of Konoha had horrible difficulty with keeping secrets and, for that reason, made Kakashi's life so much harder. All WASABI members had thought he would be a perfect match for Iruka and had in fact done everything they could to help their budding relationship, but the fact Kakashi had betted on love gave them reason to kidnap the jounin on a few occasions and have serious chats with him.

A week and a half ago, she had heard straight from a drunk Gai that his best friend had botched up his love life and was now on a crusade to win Iruka back. All Tsunade could do was sit back and watch the show. The flowers had annoyed Iruka, the presents made him twitch – but the poetry! Ahh, that horrible poetry that just barely rhymed and was about quite dirty topics was the coup de grace! It had made Iruka so aggravated that the teacher was blind to the rest of the world around him.

He did not notice how things were disappearing from his apartment, how other teachers had been mentally preparing themselves for two weeks of substitute teaching his classes. Tsunade even doubted that Iruka realized that all his plants were missing from his apartment. The foliage now sat in her office, since it was apparently her duty to water the damn things. For all the trouble Kakashi had put everyone through for the past week and a half – calling in favors left and right, pleading and downright blackmailing – he could have done the decent thing and told everyone what he was planning. But no, the jounin kept all those involved in the dark.

All she knew was that this morning, Kakashi had two large packs sitting in his living room. That bit of information was thanks to Gai and Anko – her own personal spying team. One of the bags – judging by the tears and worn look – had to be Kakashi's, while the other was without a doubt Iruka's almost brand-new pack. So, they were apparently leaving the village for the next two weeks, but where?

The curiosity was going to drive her crazy!

Tsunade nearly snorted as a new thought came to her. She now understood why Kakashi had requested a mission for his team, but to let the three do it on their own with just one of his nin dogs to watch over them. Not only was it a mission without their leader, but Team Seven had been sent to Suna. No, there was no way the three were still in Konoha and there was no chance they would be back in the village for at least a week. Cackling as she returned to her own office, she knew that Naruto was going to be positively fuming when he returned to the village only to find out his teacher finally publicly revealed himself without the blonde present. And, within a week, the rumors were going to twist the actual events into some unbelievable story as far as the teens were concerned. Those three would never believe that Kakashi seriously got down on one knee, declared his love with his entire face visible and then proceeded to make out with Iruka with a full Mission Office staring on in Yaoi-loving joy.

No, there was no way the blonde would believe any of that.

XX

Raising an eyebrow at his shivering lover, Sasuke could only watch the blonde in his arms for several moments until Naruto finally stopped. Knowing the blonde as well as he did, he mentally counted down the seconds before Naruto explained himself.

"My Kakashi-Revealed-His-Face senses are tingling," Naruto stated, sounding surprisingly sane for such a batty person. Ignoring his lover's quirk, Sasuke just rolled over, snorted once, and then went back to bed before the blonde started in on how they had to go on some kind of insane adventure to find out what Kakashi hid under his mask. They tried that once and Sasuke was not about to go annoy the jounin a second time, especially not when he had loaned out his spacious getaway house in the Hidden Village of Waterfall to the man. Whatever Kakashi needed the remote place for – or how he knew about one of Sasuke's best kept secrets in the first place – the Uchiha did not know, but he had the feeling that it had something to do with a certain teacher.

It was about time his sensei finally won a challenge more important than rock-paper-scissors. And what could be more important – or more "youthful" – than finding the love of your life?

-Owari-

Authoress: *sniffles* Aww…such a cute ending! And Kakashi – I didn't know you have any romance in you! *cackles* But don't worry, I still have an epilogue planned that will give any Yaoi-fanatic a nosebleed! YOSH!

B.Z.: ...Unbelievable... even after all this time, your grammar still sucks and you still use run-on sentences... ugh. A Beta's worst nightmare. I'm glad you were able to find time to finally write this though. It has certainly been a while...

Authoress: I know – my run-ons get horrendous when I'm rushing to finish a chapter, but I so wanted to finish this while I had free time! Thank you for putting up with me, B.Z.-chan! So, until the epilogue, ja ne!


	18. A Delicious End

Authoress: *cries* it is finally here – the end of The Most Youthful Challenge! Thank you all for reading and for all your wonderful reviews! And, just as a warning – this here is a LEMON! So, please don't flame me for giving everyone what they've been asking for!

**Epilogue**

Kakashi groggily cracked open an eye as the light crept through the window. Taking a deep breath, he caught the unmistakable scent of something heavenly. He quickly glanced around the room with his natural eye, finally focusing his gaze on the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

Five years and he still couldn't believe his luck.

Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, the brunet was oblivious to the world around him as he happily slurped noodles from a steaming bowl he was holding. It didn't take long for Kakashi to guess what kind of noodles those were. He knew the scent of pork and miso ramen so well, it haunted him in his dreams.

Then again, what kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn't recognize the smell of his lover's favorite food by now?

"Good morning, sleepy head," Iruka sung around his meal. Curious, Kakashi wondered what time it was – it was obvious the teacher had already drunk his first pot of coffee of the day if he was this bouncy. It took him a moment to realize that it must be around lunchtime.

There was a reason for Kakashi's confusion. He had gotten back from a mission the night before, had hot and steamy I-missed-you sex with the love of his life, and then promptly passed out. Every other time he returned from a mission, he was allowed to sleep at least until the early evening the next day. So there must be a reason Iruka was sitting there, waking him up with that delicious scent and even more delectable view of a fully nude teacher eating those noodles.

Focusing on his lover's grinning face, Kakashi started to wonder if he should be worried. When Iruka smiled like that, most people's survival instincts told them to figure out an escape route. Running back through the past few weeks, he couldn't remember doing or saying anything that would make his lover seek revenge. As far as Iruka knew, he hadn't chosen to be sent away on a week-long mission in Suna, nor was it entirely his fault that, immediately before leaving the village, he had to have a midlife crisis challenge with Gai.

Who could use his age to get away with offensive comments and actions easier – it was hardly even a challenge anymore. Of course, whereas Gai had to plead senility, Kakashi knew he could get away with murder by just flashing a smile. Which he had done – so maybe Iruka was mad that he was innocently flirting with the girls whose butts he had pinched or chests he had ogled in the name of tradition?

"Have I told you today that I love you?" Kakashi replied, wishing that his response didn't sound questioning, but it did. In response, Iruka just smiled. Damn, he was like the cat that ate the canary! Inwardly wincing, the jounin wondered what kind of punishment he was going to receive this time for being a menace to society.

Slowly, Kakashi began to sit up, but froze when he felt something restricting his movement. A quick glance to his arms revealed the downright sexy truth. Iruka had tied him to the bed! A part of the pervert nearly cried at how his lover was finally coming out of his innocent shell. The rest of him, however, wondered why there were seals written on the thick ribbons. It only took him a moment to recognize the marks for what they were. Unbreakable bonds – Iruka apparently had been spending too much time with Ibiki.

Knowing better than to tug, Kakashi tested the strength of the ribbons with a tendril of chakra. Almost instantly, he was rewarded with a tightening of the knots around his wrists. He couldn't help but crack a smile. Iruka had rigged his trap so that, the more his lover struggled, the harder it would be to escape. Perfect!

The jounin looked back to his lover in appreciation. Iruka ignored his raised eyebrow, instead continuing to eat his ramen in blissful abandon. After a few silent moments, Iruka slowed down eating as he focused his gaze on his bound lover.

"I was cleaning the other day and I happened to look in your closet…" Iruka trailed off, smirking when he saw his boyfriend break out in a cold sweat. "There was this huge box covered in seals. I couldn't help opening it – I was curious what you were hiding." Okay, so he was fishing through his lover's closet in hopes of finding his birthday present while Kakashi was away on a mission. What better place to hide it than in a box that was covered in enough seals and exploding tags to discourage all but the most insane – or the most determined – from trying to open it?

"O-oh?" Kakashi tried to sound flippant, but recalled just how very large that box was. Oh, he was going to kill Naruto and Sasuke the next time he saw those two. It was entirely their fault that he could no longer fit everything in one small chest that he could stuff under the floorboards. He had thought the seals would have kept his lover out of the refrigerator box– he should have known better than to underestimate Iruka's curiosity.

"Now, unless you're planning on opening up your own store, I'm assuming all of it has a purpose," Iruka commented softly as he balanced his ramen on one knee. Recalling the mounds of toys, bottles, and other things that the box contained, he smirked. All it had taken was one little trip to Naruto's apartment to find out where everything came from. Okay, maybe he also needed a few hard glares and whacking his brother in the head with one such toy.

Sasuke sung long before his lover.

Slowly, Iruka fished out a noodle from his bowl and brought it to his face. Feigning naivety, he began eating it as he watched his lover's reaction. The wide eyes and the hungry look told him that the teens' information had been correct. Apparently Kakashi liked ramen more than he let on.

"When we first started dating and you had that marathon cold shower," Iruka started off, biting back a chuckle when he saw Kakashi's face turn a vibrant shade of pink. Apparently he was still embarrassed over that event. "You flew back into the bathroom when I offered you ramen… any reason why?"

Kakashi whimpered as he watched Iruka pick up another noodle and begin slurping it. Closing his eyes, he tried to will away the image of that salty broth splattering his lover's chin. After he swallowed heavily and took a few calming breaths, the jounin cracked open an eye only to see Iruka slowly licking his lips, erasing all traces of his messy meal.

The soft moans that escaped from his lover did not help Kakashi's libido whatsoever.

"Mmm… it's delicious – want some?" Iruka asked innocently as he held up a dripping noodle. Kakashi hungrily eyed the ramen as though it was the only autographed copy of the special edition Icha Icha Lesson. Those mismatched eyes widened as they watched Iruka move the chopsticks toward him, only to reverse direction mere inches from his lips.

Kakashi let out a growl of protest as he watched his lover happily consume the noodle. Forgetting the bonds around his wrists, the jounin tried to lunge for his brunet. He didn't care if he upset the bowl of ramen; hell, that would just make it easier to lick the broth off every inch of Iruka. Of course, he was jerked back onto the bed by his restraints as they tightened to the point where he could no longer move his arms at all.

"I-Iruka…" Kakashi whispered his lover's name, unable to think of a reason for this seductive teasing. In response, the only thing the teacher did was shift his position so that he was sitting next to his lover. With a bare thigh brushing against his side, that steaming bowl was able to radiate heat onto his already flushed skin. Groaning, Kakashi tried to move, but was only rewarded with another tightening of his bonds.

"You didn't answer my question," Iruka pointed out before eating another noodle. Purposely slurping, he watched in satisfaction as a few droplets splashed his lover's exposed chest. Kakashi's eyes followed those beads of moisture as well, flickering back up to the brunet pleadingly as they began to slide down his side.

Unable to recall what his lover had asked him, Kakashi whimpered as he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the warm liquid trailing down his ribcage. Any attempts at forgetting the mess Iruka was making disappeared as he felt a tongue brush against his side, lapping up the broth before it hit the mattress.

That warm tongue continued moving upwards, following the trail the liquid had taken. Kakashi shivered as Iruka licked a particularly sensitive spot. The jounin bit his lip to keep from crying out as his lover began expertly sucking that area, knowing exactly what it did to Kakashi. Every muscle in the jounin trembled in desire as he tried to move closer to the teacher's seductive mouth. Wracked with jolts of pleasure, Kakashi lost the ability to breathe as he felt Iruka shift again.

He didn't have to open his eyes to know that Iruka had set the bowl of ramen on his middle. The immediate warmth against his skin told him exactly what was going on. Kakashi tried to focus his attention on anything other than the bowl that shook on top of his quivering abdomen.

Reluctantly, Iruka removed his lips from his lover's side and momentarily admired the dark mark that was a shocking contrast to Kakashi's alabaster skin. Smirking, the brunet blew against the wet spot and was rewarded with a shiver from the jounin.

"Iruka, please!" Kakashi begged as his hips involuntarily thrust upwards. Almost as soon as he moved, the jounin deeply regretted it. The bowl resting precariously on him was upset by his quick movement, spilling hot broth and noodles across his torso and lower body.

The liquid wasn't hot enough to burn, but Kakashi forgot about that as he cried out. The feel of the ramen hitting his skin, sliding down his thighs and groin, pooling between defined muscles, dripping down onto the mattress underneath him. It was too much. Whimpering, Kakashi finally opened his eyes only to find his lover studying him with a calculating expression. God, Iruka was sexy when he was determined!

"Look at the mess you made, Kakashi," Iruka said, forcing himself to sound angry as he brought a finger to his lover's narrow hip. Slowly, he ran the back of his finger against the jounin's wet skin, catching a bead of liquid that he quickly brought to his mouth. Knowing his lover's eyes were riveted on him, he began to lick away the moisture so seductively, he found himself being turned on.

Seeing the tell-tale flush on his lover's face, Kakashi found his gaze moving downwards. Though partially hidden from view by his crossed legs, Iruka's arousal was still obvious enough to make the jounin groan. He had known Iruka was perfect – but this was something that he had never expected out of his shy lover.

Playing along with Iruka's game – and his own deep, dark fantasy – Kakashi put on his best remorseful expression. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he glanced down at his soaked abdomen. Following his gaze, Iruka sighed heavily.

"I guess I'll have to clean this up," the teacher commented as he plucked a lonely noodle off of Kakashi's thigh. Concentrating so hard on not blushing and ruining his cool and collected façade, Iruka jumped slightly when he heard his lover speak.

"Let me help," Kakashi whimpered as he tugged on his restraints, inwardly praying Iruka would release him. He wanted so badly to kiss his lover, to taste the saltiness on his lips and tongue. He desperately needed to suck on those fingers that now held a noodle mere inches from Iruka's mouth. Judging from the smirk that came to his lover's face, Iruka knew exactly what he was thinking about.

Slowly, Iruka brought the ramen noodle up to Kakashi's parted lips. He chuckled as he brushed the noodle against the jounin's lower lip, teasing his lover as Kakashi tried to bite the thin strand, but Iruka kept pulling it away.

"Iruka!" Kakashi cried out as he lunged for the damn noodle, only to get a taste of it before his lover moved it out of his range. Iruka did this several times before he unknowingly began to wear on Kakashi's almost non-existent patience. He somehow forgot that his lover was not very tolerant when he was horny.

It only took a moment of concentration for the jounin to fill his hands with chakra. Even before the sound of chirping birds reached his lover's ears, Kakashi had blasted away the headboard that he was tied to. Sadly, it was not the first headboard they had destroyed and Kakashi had the feeling it would not be the last. For the briefest of moments, he recalled how embarrassed Iruka was when they had cracked their first bed in one of their more energetic adventures in lovemaking.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT USING JUTSU IN BED!" Iruka shrieked as he fell backwards from the blast that obliterated the top of their brand new bed. Before he got a chance to berate his lover for the umpteenth time for destroying furniture, he found himself pinned to the bed with one very horny jounin straddled across his middle.

"Much better," Kakashi preened as he slowly released his lover's wrists and bent down so that he could kiss those salty lips. Preparing himself for a few punches – Iruka hated having to go to the furniture store with a new excuse as to why he needed a brand new bed, chair, table, or whatever they had broken that week – Kakashi was surprised when he felt those hands tightly grip his hips.

Iruka groaned as he pushed his lover lower down until Kakashi's ass pressed against his erection. The jounin merely let out a hoarse chuckle as he began to rub himself along his lover's member. He loved teasing Iruka into a frenzy, which he had every intention of doing as revenge for covering him in ramen, but he quickly changed his mind when he saw the bowl Iruka's ramen had been in.

Miraculously, there was a little puddle of broth still in the sideways bowl.

The jounin smirked deviously as he slid down until he sat between his lover's strong legs. Reaching for the bowl, he began drizzling the lukewarm broth along the brunet's throbbing cock. Crying out at the sensation of liquid trailing down his erection, Iruka's hips bucked upwards.

"Y-you're making a mess!" the obsessive teacher squeaked as he pushed himself up on his elbows. Kakashi only grinned at him as he lowered his head and began lapping up the broth. The combination of watching his lover lick his erection and feeling Kakashi's masterful tongue against his sensitive flesh was too much for the teacher to handle.

Reaching down, he took a handful of his lover's silvery hair and held the jounin's head still as he began fucking that warm mouth. Momentarily surprised at his lover's demanding thrusts, Kakashi choked. As soon as the sound left his throat, Iruka froze and was about to begin apologizing for being so forceful, but the words died on his tongue when he heard his lover speak first.

"Don't make me stop, Iruka. You taste so good," Kakashi groaned hoarsely. The salty flavor of the ramen filled the jounin's mouth, turning him on even more than he had imagined it would. Licking at his lover's cock, he found a ramen-flavored spot at the base that he had somehow missed before. Within moments of Kakashi's attentions, Iruka was writhing. Slowly, the jounin trailed his tongue up the underside of his lover's erection and then teased his way along the tip until he tasted a bead of liquid that was a delicious contrast to the ramen. Taking his lover back in his mouth, Kakashi quickly matched Iruka's earlier movements.

All Iruka could do was moan as his lover sucked him like never before. Had he known Kakashi would have had such a fetish for ramen, he would have tried this out ages ago. The thought of repeating the experience made a shiver of pleasure run down Iruka's back. Tightening his fingers in the silver strands of his lover's hair, almost to the point of pain, Iruka arched his back.

"K-Kakashi!" Iruka cried out his lover's name as he approached his climax. The jounin greedily sucked on his arousal until the brunet came explosively, gripping his hair and directing his head as he filled that hot cavern with his seed.

Swallowing, Kakashi growled appreciatively. The taste of his lover's cum, mixed with ramen, was far better than the jounin had ever imagined possible. He began licking his lover's still hard member, making sure he hadn't missed a single drop. Iruka made a strangled sound as he pulled Kakashi's head away before the jounin could, literally, suck him into a second climax.

"Mmm," Kakashi voiced his satisfaction as he moved so that he could innocently kiss his lover. Lazily, he licked those salty lips, which only served to turn him on even more, if that was possible. Iruka groaned softly before he crushed his lips against Kakashi's, tasting semen and ramen. Damn, Kakashi had a good idea! The teacher growled as he took control of a kiss that quickly turned into a sloppy mating of tongues and gasps for air.

Iruka was the first to break away, taking a moment to breathe before speaking. "My turn," he growled as he moved quickly, flipping Kakashi underneath him and pinning the jounin to the bed by simply ramming his hard cock against his lover's entrance. Crying out, Kakashi angled his hips in preparation of having his brains fucked out, but was surprised – and a little disappointed – when Iruka pulled away. That momentary disappointment disappeared when he realized what his lover had in mind.

Kakashi immediately knew what the bottle that his lover had picked up off the nightstand was. How could he not recognize it when he had a year's supply of the stuff?

"Ramen-flavored, huh?" Iruka asked with a raised eyebrow. The flush on his lover's face told him exactly what he wanted to know. Kakashi knew that the lube did really taste like ramen. The questions of how, when, and why were burning in Iruka's mind and he was determined to get answers. Slowly, he popped the lid and began squeezing some of the slippery contents out onto his fingertips.

Kakashi watched all of this in a lust-filled haze. Seeing his lover start to rub the lubricant along his index and middle fingers sent a shot of red-hot desire through the jounin. Knowing exactly what his lover was doing – seducing him for answers to the obvious questions concerning the year supply of ramen flavored lube – Kakashi bit his lip and refused to speak. What Iruka did next, however, sent the jounin over the edge.

Iruka should have been working for the torture and interrogation team and not wasting his obvious talents on his horny lover.

Innocently, the teacher stuck out his tongue and touched the tip to his finger. Eyes widening in surprise, he pressed his tongue to his slick fingers, then did the unthinkable and began sucking on his own fingers like they were candy. If his expression of pure bliss was any indicator, Iruka enjoyed the taste almost as much as his real ramen.

Moaning softly, Iruka licked his fingers clean before starting to repeat the process. Before he even had the chance to put a drop of lubricant on his wet fingers, Kakashi cried out.

"Okay, okay!" Kakashi's voice cracked from sheer, desperate need. "It was Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura – they bought all of that stuff to embarrass me. They overdosed me on aphrodisiacs, and then I woke up at your place and found your ramen poster... thought it was sexy. They found out about my fantasy and bought a year's supply of the lube. When you were on the teacher's retreat last month, I was horny and I got curious!"

The mental picture that Kakashi's words painted was one that made Iruka's member twitch. He could easily imagine his lover covering one of the many, many dildos he had found in that box with lube. It wasn't much of a stretch to visualize Kakashi sucking on it, pretending it was his cock, then using it to fuck himself.

Iruka moaned at the idea of Kakashi masturbating. He knew his chronically horny lover did it often, but rarely was it more than a quick hand job. He was brought back to the present when he felt hands wrap around his throbbing erection.

"Fuck me, Iruka," Kakashi pleaded hoarsely as he began to stroke his lover's member. The teacher jerked his hips, groaning as he added more lube to his trembling fingers. Throwing the tube onto the bed, Iruka moved to press his fingers against his lover's entrance. He gently pushed two fingers into the jounin, finding that sensitive spot with ease.

Crying out, Kakashi tightened his grip around his lover's erection as Iruka continued to press against his prostate, sending the jounin into a frenzied state. He tried to rock his body against those fingers, but Iruka held him still with a single hand on his hip. The jounin whimpered as his lover teased him, pulling his fingers out almost completely only to slam them back against his prostate, mimicking what he was going to do soon.

Though he was seeing stars, Kakashi blindly grasped for the ramen lube, then covered his lover's cock in it. Knowing Iruka's willpower was even more non-existent than his own, the jounin gripped the teacher's erection and began jerking him off. Iruka didn't even last a few seconds before he growled and grabbed Kakashi's wrist.

"Please, Iruka." His hips now free, Kakashi bucked upwards, impaling himself on his lover's fingers as his cock brushed against Iruka's. The teacher bit his lip to stifle a moan as he quickly complied with his lover's demands. With no warning, he replaced his fingers with his well-lubricated arousal and thrust into the jounin.

Kakashi let out a soft scream of pleasure as his lover took him. Bronzed hands gripped his hips so tightly, both men knew he would leave bruises, but neither cared at that moment. The jounin's pale legs hooked around his lover's shoulders as Iruka easily lifted him into the air and began fucking him with every ounce of energy he had.

Unable to do much else, Kakashi rode his lover's cock – and loved every minute of it. He loved how Iruka took complete control, moving their hips in a rhythm that quickly had Kakashi arching his back and crying out for more. He loved hearing his lover's pants, his moans, his declarations of love.

Wrapping his arms around Iruka's neck, Kakashi pulled himself flush against his lover and kissed the younger man deeply. He had to break away all too soon to gasp for air as Iruka rammed against his prostate, momentarily blinding the jounin.

"I-Iruka!"

That airy gasp was the only warning the teacher was given before he felt his lover come, covering both of them in his seed, as he cried out and his body trembled. Iruka followed mere moments later with a hoarse groan. As he throbbed inside his lover, Iruka felt his energy drain from him. Gently, he laid his lover down before he collapsed.

Kakashi lazily wrapped his arms around his tanned partner, gently rubbing his scarred back until Iruka stopped shaking from the aftershock of his climax. Closing his eyes, the jounin listened to his lover's fast breathing and his even more rapid heartbeat. It was a sound that he loved listening to almost as much as the downright sexy moans that came out of Iruka as they made love.

"I love you," the jounin whispered into his lover's ear as he continued to hold the younger man. He loved when Iruka was sprawled out on top of him. He loved feeling his lover's strong heartbeat and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply. He loved having the teacher's weight on him, pressing him into the mattress. He loved the contact of their bodies, being able to feel every inch of Iruka's beautifully sculpted frame.

Nuzzling his face into his lover's messy hair, Kakashi breathed deeply. He loved the smell of Iruka. He loved the feel of his lover's soft hair, his silken skin, and even the knotted scars that covered his back. He loved the warmth that enveloped him every time Iruka was near him.

"Love you too," Iruka mumbled against his lover's shoulder, too tired at the moment to move away from Kakashi's comfortable embrace. After a few silent moments, the brunet finally lifted himself up so that he could look his lover in the face. "So, you were curious, huh?" he asked with a distinctively perverse tone.

Feeling his face heat up, Kakashi glowered at his lover. "You were looking for your birthday present, weren't you?" he demanded, finally figuring out why his lover had been hunting through his closet in the first place, much less why he would look in a box that obviously was not supposed to be opened.

"It's my birthday today…" Iruka started out, his voice as innocent as an angel's. Kakashi had a momentary flashback to his students as Naruto tried to blame something he had done on his teammates. Now he knew where that believable act came from. "You haven't given me a present and it's already almost evening." With that, he wriggled in impatience.

"Go look in my vest," Kakashi replied with a hint of a chuckle. Far too tired to get up himself, he merely propped himself up on an elbow as he watched his lover go off in search of his vest. Finally finding it hanging off a lampshade– they had been a little energetic and eager last night – the teacher began rooting through the pockets.

Out came three Icha Icha novels, a pack of new shuriken, several condoms for those quick fucks against the classroom wall after school or on the desk at the Mission Office, and the jounin's chronically thin wallet, but nothing else. Iruka looked up from the pile of expected items and, seeing his lover's smirk, he went back to searching. Finally, he felt something sewn into the jacket that certainly shouldn't be there. Damn sneaky bastard made sure to keep the present on him at all times so Iruka couldn't find it "on accident"!

Carefully, he cut a hole that he inwardly promised to sew back up later and shook until a small black box fell out of the ratty vest. Iruka looked from his lover to the box, then back again, several times. Finally, he swallowed heavily as he picked up the hinged cube with trembling fingers.

It was just the right size – but it couldn't be!

Iruka looked back up at his lover, who was slowly getting off the bed and coming to crouch next to him. Hesitantly, he cracked the box open and glanced in it. His pounding heart froze for a moment when he saw that what he had been hoping for was not there.

Lifting the folded piece of paper out of the box, Iruka forced a smile onto his face, not wanting to show his lover his disappointment. Slowly, he unfolded it and nearly laughed when he recognized the sheet of paper.

"You know, this is supposed to be filed in the Hokage Tower with the rest of the mission reports," Iruka pointed out as he looked away from the sheet of paper that had started their entire relationship. Seeing a sheepish grin on his lover's face, he raised an eyebrow. "You didn't…"

"Maa, Tsunade has those things under lock and key! I nearly lost my eyebrows from an exploding tag!" Kakashi replied with a toothy smile. Waggling said eyebrows, he continued, "Flip it over."

Iruka furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why Kakashi would want him to look at the blank side of the mission report. When he did as his lover requested, he realized that his little thief had not only stolen a mission report, but could also be considered a traitor by altering it.

Where there should have been just a blank page, was scrawled handwriting that Iruka immediately recognized as his lover's chicken scratch. Like so long ago, this question was just two simple words, but caught Iruka's heart in his throat even more than "Ichiraku's tonight?" had all those years ago.

_Marry me?_

Iruka squeaked softly, lifting his watery eyes away from the page in order to look at his lover. Instead of crouching, Kakashi had fallen to one knee and was holding up something that Iruka had certainly never seen before.

"It isn't much bu-" Kakashi nearly dropped the silver ring as Iruka flung himself into his arms, repeating the one word the jounin had wanted most to hear.

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" Iruka kissed every inch of his lover's face between each 'yes,' not caring that he had thrown his lover to the ground and was making it impossible for Kakashi to put the ring on his finger. Amid laughing, kissing, and clinging to the older man, Iruka somehow calmed down enough for his lover to return a few ardent kisses.

"Baka, let me put this on you before I lose it again," Kakashi demanded as he flipped his lover over, careful not to slam the squirming man against the floor. Pinning the teacher down, he slid the ring onto his lover's finger and nearly let out a cry of victory when he realized that it fit perfectly. Thank god Naruto knew his brother's ring size, because Kakashi had had no idea how to get it from his overly perceptive lover, who was also a very, very light sleeper.

"Again?" Iruka repeated curiously as he studied the plain band on his ring finger. Raising an eyebrow, he recalled how Kakashi had been frantic the past few weeks. He had passed it up as his lover's usual uncertainty about buying him presents. "That mission… did Tsunade actually assign you anything?"

"Maa… it's more like she demanded I go back to the jeweler's shop I had bought it from to see if I had left it there. We searched all of Konoha, but didn't find it… I guess I was so excited, I didn't even pick it up …"

Iruka just rolled his eyes – it was just like Kakashi to forget to even pick up the ring he must have made a special trip to Suna for. And, considering how close-knit Konoha was, it was no wonder Kakashi had had to go to a completely different hidden village if he wanted to keep the ring a secret from his lover. Iruka had to let out a chuckle, realizing everything Kakashi had been through. He fell silent however as he recalled how oddly all of his friends had been acting the past few days. "Who else, besides Tsunade, knows that you were going to propose?" he asked, though he already knew the answer and was dreading it.

"Everyone… I asked Naruto for help – big mistake. WASABI got involved and it went downhill from there…"

"Okay, you have to explain this WASABI gang to me – they attacked you when we first started dating, then they disappeared from the village after we got back from that vacation of yours." Iruka eyed his lover as Kakashi snickered.

"We Against Sorry Attempts to Bed Iruka – you have to thank Naruto for that one. Apparently quite a few shinobi thought that they should watch out for you and protect your virginity from perverts like me," Kakashi replied, recalling how the entire crazed group of Iruka-lovers had grown weepy when they confronted him about his plan to propose to his boyfriend on his birthday.

"Good thing they didn't do a good job, huh?" Iruka asked as he captured his lover's face between his hands and kissed him gently. What he had intended to be a chaste kiss quickly turned into a lot of tongue and spit as he strained against his lover's hold in order to press his hardening member against the older man.

"And you call _me_ a hornball," Kakashi mumbled around their kiss with a chuckle. Iruka's only response was to run his fingers down his lover's bare chest and abdomen, grasping his already weeping erection.

"Well, I have to keep up with someone as _youthful_ as you, don't I?" Iruka snickered, bringing up his favorite way to mock his lover. Kakashi feigned a moment of annoyance, but the broad smile on his face told another story. "Don't forget, you won the most youthful challenge!"

"Yes, I did."

-Owari-

Authoress: I'm so happy to finally finish *cries a little* but I will miss WASABI! A huge thanks goes to B.Z.-chan for betaing this final installment to The Most Youthful Challenge! And thank you all for staying with us this whole time!


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